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After The Melody: Paul Bley and Jazz Piano After Ornette Coleman

A thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree

Master
In
Music

At Massey University, Wellington,


New Zealand

Norman Meehan

2002
Abstract

This thesis examines the improvisations of jazz pianist Paul Bley, asking the
questions:
In Paul Bley' s improvisations, what constitutes the melodic vocabulary, in
what ways is that vocabulary organized, and to what extent does it reflect the
'jazz language'? Further, in what ways does Bley create coherence and
continuity in his solos?
To propose answers to these problems, a selection of Bley's improvised solos were
transcribed and examined using techniques described in the methodology section.
These techniques attempt to consider both the process and the product of the activity
of improvisation.
This research revealed that Bley's approach utili sed several techniques pioneered by
jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman as well as melodic, harmonic and rhythmic devices
common in the jazz idiom. Continuity and coherence were found in the sample, and
this was largely attributable to the ways Bley created thematic unity by using
recognisable motifs repeatedly in a variety of (often contrasting) contexts.
In addition to the transcriptions, these findings are supported by extracts from
interviews with Paul Bley conducted by the author and included in the appendices.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Dr. Gregory Smith and Dr. Donald Chittum for guidance.
Thanks to Dr. Suzi Kerr for perspective.
Thanks to the faculty of the New England Conservatory, and particularly Allan
Chase, for hosting me during the preparation of the thesis.
List of illustrations

Figure 1. Pan-tonal Phrase pg. 17


Figure 2. Motivic Chain Association Table pg. 18
Figure 3. Step Progression: Cannonball Adderley pg. 19
Figure 4. Step Progression: Paul Bley pg. 19
Figure 5. Melodic Elision Table pg. 21
Figure 6. Jazz Devices Table pg.26
Figure 7. Scalar Lines: Comparison pg. 27
Figure 8. Chord Spelling pg. 28
Figure 9. Blues Phrase pg.28
Figure 10. Whole-tone Scale pg.29
Figure 11. Enclosure Phrases pg.29
Figure 12. Super Locrian Phrase pg.30
Figure 13. Diminished Phrase pg.30
Figure 14. Jazz Phrase pg.30
Figure 15. Erasure Phrase pg.33
Figure 16. Four Note Motif: Contexts pg. 38
Figure 17. Four Note Motif: Comparisons pg.40
Figure 18. For Note Motif: Comparisons pg.41
Figure 19. 'Hand Shape' Table pg.43
Transcribed Solos
Ornette Coleman: Chronology (extract) pg47
Paul Bley All The Things You Are: 1963 pg. 48
Paul Bley All The Things You Are: 1985 pg.53
Paul Bley All The Things You Are: 1993 pg. 57
Paul Bley Long Ago And Far Away: 1963 pg.65
Paul Bley Long Ago And Far Away: 1985 pg.68
Paul Bley Long Ago And Far Away: 1993 pg. 73
After The Melody: Paul Bley and Jazz Piano After Ornette Coleman

Contents
Introduction 3
Methodology: 5
Reductive models 6
Processual models 8
Towards a synthesis 9
Omette Coleman 13
Paul Bley:
Harmonic mobility 16
Motivic improvisation 18
Freedom within the jazz ensemble 24
Continuity with the jazz tradition 26
Beyond tonal music 32
Non-equivalence of pitch classes 34
Thematic unity 35
Processual considerations 37
Conclusion 44
Musical Examples: Transcriptions 46
Appendix I. Transcriptions: Interviews with Paul Bley 83
Appendix 2. Selected Discography 97
Glossary 98
References 99

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After The Melody: Paul Bley and Jazz Piano After Ornette Coleman

Introduction

Born in Canada in 1932, Paul Bley began his musical studies at an early age, attending
both the McGill and Quebec Conservatories. He moved to New York in 1950 to study
composition at Juilliard School of Music and pursue his burgeoning career as a jazz pianist. After
gigging, recording and finally graduating in New York he found his way to California where he
formed a quartet. In 1958, while leading his band at the Hillcrest Club in Los Angeles with
Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins and Dave Pike, Bley heard Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry play
when they sat in with the group. His response was to fire Pike (vibraphone) and hire Coleman and
Cherry. As a consequence of this decision, the Hillcrest Club engagement became "the beginning
of avant-garde jazz in America" (Gioia, 1992, p 331). Bley was hugely influenced by his
exposure to Coleman's unique approach to jazz improvisation, and it was this approach that
predicated much of the music Bley subsequently made. He went on to perform and record with
many other notable musicians, including Charles Mingus , Don Ellis, Albert Ayler and John
Gilmore. In 1961 he worked in a trio led by Jimmy Giuffre, with Steve Swallow on bass .
Giuffre's music, based on a contrapuntal conception and concerned primarily with the horizontal
(linear) aspects of the music (to the extent that vertical considerations were at best secondary),
also proved significant in Bley's burgeoning career. During 1962 - 1963, Bley spent twelve
months in the band of saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Although it is almost certain Bley learned
many lessons during his tenure with Rollins, his style was well formed by the time of that
engagement and his mature work could reasonably be said to have begun around that time.
This paper examines examples of the music that Paul Bley has recorded from around that
time onward, and considers the questions:

In Paul Bley 's improvisations, what constitutes the melodic vocabulary, in what ways is that
vocabulary organized and to what extent does it reflect the 'jazz language'? Further, in what
ways does Bley create coherence and continuity in his solos?

While it is difficult to trace 'influence' in an individual musician's style, parallels will be


drawn between Bley's mature style and that of the musician that seems to have been most

3
significant in his development; Ornette Coleman. To do this, consideration will be given to the
aspects ofBley's playing that reflect the influence of Ornette Coleman, and examples of the most
cogent aspects of any identifiable influence will be documented.
As a pianist, Bley belongs to a tradition of performance altogether different to that of
Ornette Coleman, a saxophonist. This not only has implications for how their respective
recordings actually sound (they sound very different), but also determines many of the sources
each draws upon when playing. The honks, squeals and glissando effects that are ubiquitous in
Coleman's playing are not available to pianists, just as polyphony or the playing of chords is not
possible on a saxophone (beyond a few multi-phonic effects that can approximate some chord
sounds). In addition, there are distinct stylistic differences between these musicians; Coleman's
recordings are often scattered and frenetic and can feel 'emotionally charged', while Bley's
recordings are generally spare and often feel more tranquil and 'considered'. While it would be of
great interest to examine the ways in which their respective recordings reflect the nature and
limitations of the instruments on which each performs, or to consider the different aesthetic
values that predicate their individual styles, this paper focuses instead on the musical materials
that are common to both players. This is because it is in this area that the greatest similarities
between their improvisations are evident. Questions regarding the similarities and differences
between these musicians that focus on instrument-based critiques, or investigations into the
stylistic/aesthetic distinctions between their respective recordings are beyond the scope of the
present study.
Some definitions are in order at this point. 'Melodic vocabulary' is taken to mean the
organization of the pitch and rhythmic content of the improvised lines. At times this will focus on
the specific pitches contained in a phrase, and at times on the contour or formulaic origins of a
phrase. The 'jazz language' refers to the pitch content, rhythmic organisation, phrasing, and
articulation of melodies that find their origins in the playing of key performers in the jazz
tradition. These artists will be referred to directly in the text along with examples of their art as it
is relevant to Bley's music. It is not claimed that these artists specifically were the ones from
whom Bley drew his inspiration, but rather that their music is representative of the milieu in
which Bley is a practitioner.

4
Methodology
In choosing a methodology for the examination of Paul Bley's music, it is necessary to
identify its principle components.
Commentators agree that the music Bley makes can be categorised as jazz, and Bley
himself is unequivocal in describing it as such. 1 He states, "All along I have accepted or
discarded things on one critique - their validity as jazz" (Heckman, 1965). He is quick also to
acknowledge the centrality of improvisation to that conception:

I could play by ear all the written music and improvised music I had heard, but I had not
yet attempted to improvise at the piano. [Having to improvise whilst singing text at my]
Bar Mitzvah freed me by giving me permission to create spontaneous music in front of an
audience. To this day I still sing while I play the piano. (Bley, Lee, 1999, p 16)

Though a comprehensive definition of jazz is as contentious as it is elusive, most writers


acknowledge the importance of improvisation to jazz and would generally defend its inclusion in
any definition of the term. Gunther Schuller (1989) noted that, "Improvisation, if it is not
absolutely essential to jazz, is considered to be the heart and soul of jazz by most jazz musicians
and authorities" (p 865). The Ne w Harvard Dictionary of Music ( 1986) notes that, "swing and
improvisation are essential to several styles [of jazz]" and the New Encyclopedia Britannica
(1993) observes that jazz is "often improvisational".
Improvisation is defined in the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (Kernfeld, 2000) as being
"the spontaneous creation of music as it is performed". Gunther Schuller (1989) describes
improvisation as, " A manner of playing extemporaneously, i.e. without the benefit of written
music ... It is equatable [sic] with composition on the spur of the moment" (p 865). However,
improvisation is generally considered to be distinct from composition. Ed Sarath ( 1996)
described composition as being "the discontinuous process of creation and iteration (usually

1
Bley has claimed that to find out what to play, it is necessary to first identify everything that had been played
before, and then to do something different. This approach is evidence of a 'modernist' aesthetic, and differs from the
approach of many in the jazz 'tradition' (bebop or hard bop musicians, for example) who prefer to elaborate on the
conventions of established styles. Bley however, has tempered his own modernist tendencies with a desire to remain
faithful to the 'jazz tradition' and so has created a kind of dialectic with his music. "Could you go to a place that had
relevance to the history of jazz? You could always sit and rumble around on an instrument but would it mean
something to a perspective based on, say, [New Orleans trumpeter] King Oliver" (Smith, 1979). Further, Bley said,
"I'm trying to preserve the jazz element in quite random material.. .I'm trying to find out what the jazz element is"
(Lyons, 1986, p 164).

5
through notation) of musical ideas" and improvisation as "the spontaneous creation and
performance of musical ideas in a real-time format" (p 3).
These definitions mark improvisation and composition as different activities, or at least
distinguish the former as a kind of 'instant composition', which offers no opportunity for editing
or refinement of the music after the fact. While it is possible to store and retrieve a record of an
improvisation by means of an audio recording or possibly a graphical (notated) representation,
the improvisation itself occurs only once and in 'real-time'. A composition on the other hand,
resides for all time within its score. When we speak about analysis of an improvisation then, are
we discussing the event itself and considering the process of the music making, or are we
considering a recording or transcription we possess, a product of that event?
This distinction is important because our decision to consider process, product or both,
has implications for the paradigm adopted for analysis of the music. 2 If we consider a
transcription of an improvised solo to be a composition in its own right (i.e. improvisation as
product), we may employ any of a number of analytical approaches used in the study of Western
art music. Such approaches are favored by many writers including Schuller, Larson, Williams and
Ho di er. These writers use (but are not limited to) thematic analysis of motifs and their
development (Schuller, 195 8), Schenkerian analysis (Larson, 1988), Pitch-class set analysis
(Block, 1993, Pressing, 1983) and techniques based on the Implication/Realisation theories of
Meyer and Narmour (Williams, 1982). All of these approaches may be described as being
'reductive' in nature.
Writers concerned with the process of improvisation generally adopt methods that
consider formulae found in music (Kernfeld, 1983, Smith, 1982), or linguistic models (Sudnow,
1978). These types of analysis are often referred to as 'processual'. 3

Reductive Models
Thematic analysis, such as that used by Schuller (1958) in his paper Sonny Rollins and
Thematic Improvising, is a common approach. Schuller maintains that thematic approaches to
improvisation, with their systematic variation and/or manipulation of melodic material (drawn
either from the tune or from the improviser's imagination), are aesthetically superior to other
approaches. He does not, however, identify or explain the 'systematic' aspect of these variations.

2
For a more thorough discussion of these issues and a survey of the various models available for the analysis of
improvised jazz solos see: Brownell, J. "Analytical Models Of Jazz Improvisation," Jazzforschung I Jazz Research
Vol 25, 1994: pp 9-29
3
The term 'processual' is drawn from Charles Keil's work, particularly his paper "Motion and Feeling through
Music", Music Grooves. University of Chicago Press, 1994

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While he identifies development, he does not provide insight into what predicated such
development or, more importantly, to what end it is employed.
The use of Schenkerian analysis has also become more common in recent years and some
interesting insights have become apparent with regard to both linear progressions and structural
levels of organisation in jazz performance. While this approach has its detractors,4 Steve Larson
( 1998) makes a strong case for its validity in Schenkerian Analysis of Modern Jazz: Questions
About Method. He does note, however, that: "some of the music of 'post-modern jazz' strays far
enough from tonic-dominant tonality to make the application of Schenkerian analysis untenable"
(p 218). As will quickly become clear in the examination of Bley' s music, the hegemony of tonic-
dominant tonality is usurped, often within the first measures of his solos, and the relationships
that might predicate the application of Schenkerian principles in analysis of his music are often
5
heavily disguised or are simply not present.
These reductive models, which treat the transcription as the object of analysis, are
attractive because they align agreeably with the western conception of 'the music residing in the
6
score '. Such an approach allows the analyst to identify the development of themes", single out
aspects of the music that generate coherence and discuss the composer's choice of material; in
short, it allows them to compare the construction of improvised solos with that of well-crafted
compositions from the Western art music tradition. While this can be revealing, it does shift the
focus away from the very ephemeral nature of the performance itself and onto the notated record
of that performance, so that what emerges is:

4
Keil, 1994, op cit. Also see; Smith, Gregory. Homer. Gregory and Bill Evans? The Theory of Formulaic
Composition in the context of Jazz Piano Improvisation, Doctoral Dissertation, Harvard University, 1982
5
Several other reductive models may offer insights into the organization of Bley' s music: Pitch Class Set Analysis
and the use of Implicati on/Realisation theories. Pitch-class set analysis is a tool used in the study of post-tonal music,
notably that of Schoenberg and his disciples. In recent years Jeff Pressing ( 1983) and Steven Block (1993) have used
it in the examination of post-tonal jazz music. These approaches have proved useful in gaining a deeper
understanding of the music of John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor, among others.
Implication/Realisation theories have been employed by Kent Williams (1982) in his analysis of bebop
'heads' (pre-composed melodies). Contending that musical gestures contain the seeds for their continuation,
Williams observes that musical phrases have implications, the realization of which may or may not be fulfilled. For
example, a phrase that begins with scale-wise motion in a given direction could be said to imply continued motion in
the same direction and manner to point of stability. Sometimes a listener's expectation (of a realization) w ill be
fulfilled only after a delay. While this approach is reductive rather than processual in terms of the way it considers
the improviser, it does give consideration to the process oflistening (and by extension, music-making).
Although they are of great interest, the use of these analytical models is beyond the scope of this paper.
6
This is somewhat at odds with performance traditions that rely upon improvisation, some of which are of course
present among western music traditions. Pierre Boulez, when asked if the music resided in the score or in the master
tape, replied ' the score' . Frank Zappa, a composer who predominantly worked out his compositions in the context of
live performances with improvising ensembles, declared that the music resided in the master tape. (Watson, 1996, p
545) Both of these positions reify what constitutes 'music'; it is possible that 'music' in fact resides elsewhere,
although such a discussion is beyond the scope of this present study.

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...a fixation on the object of analysis rather than on the process from which it springs.
Since, as Eric Dolphy once remarked, once a note has been played "it's gone out into the
air", the object in the analysis of improvisation is itself a phantom, and rather than
analysing music, what ends up being analysed is the frozen record of a process. (Brownell,
1994, p 15)

Processual Models

While processual models do emphasise the act of improvising, they are not without their
own set of problems. These models of analysis for jazz improvisation largely fall into one of two
categories, formulaic and linguistic.
The first large study of jazz improvisation to employ a formulaic model was Thomas
Owen's examination of a large number of Charlie Parker's improvised solos (Owens, 1974).
From these solos he identified and catalogued more than 100 melodic formulae according to their
pitch content, concluding that Parker' s improvisations were comprised of a 'stringing together' of
these melodic cells. Missing from his work however, is a clear and consistent framework for the
classification of the melodic fragments (formulae) identified and an explanation of exactly how
this 'stringing together' process occurs. Gregory Smith (1982) presents a more developed
formulaic model. In Homer, Gregory and Bill Evans? The Theory of Formulaic Composition in
the context of Jazz Piano Improvisation, Smith categorises formulae according to their type of
motion rather than their pitch sets. These formulae are limited to a few basic shapes that he
distinguishes by focusing on the principles that determine the make-up of each of these patterns.
The predicating principles are partly musical (harmonic considerations, arpeggios, and so forth)
and partly physical (hand position at the piano, ease of particular movements). These formulae
are then ranked according to their similarity to one another. While this produces a more
sophisticated approach for identifying the formulae and greater sense is made of their 'stringing
together', this approach is not completely satisfying, largely because it tacitly reduces the
performer to the role of automaton blindly spinning out musical lines with no allowance for
musical taste and discretion.
Other types of processual analysis draw on the parallels between language and music.
7
While 'deep structure', 'well-formedness' and transformational rules seem to operate in both
music and language, John Brownell (1994) candidly points out that "drawing any conclusions

7
In language, transformational rules determine acceptable parameters for manipulation of parts of speech within
well-formed sentences.

8
about music from a linguistic point of view is a mug's game." Gary Potter, in a similar paper,
adds "a successful application of linguistic techniques to jazz analysis has, to my knowledge, yet
to be made" (Potter, 1990, p 68). While some areas of research are profitably explored using
these models, particularly in the area of analyzing musical processes for the purpose of writing
improvising algorithms 8 (Pressing, 1988), they are beyond the scope of this paper.

Towards a Synthesis

Generally, writers have assumed an either/or position with regard to reductive or


9
processual models for analysis. Philip Al person (1984) however, makes a strong case for the
dual nature of improvisation as both process and product. He appeals against the bias for using
conventional analytical concepts (for composed music) in critiquing improvised music when he
suggests that:

... critical standards for musical improvisation should derive, not from what has been
composed or from what has been performed, but rather from what has been proven to be
possible within the demands and constraints of improvisatory musical activity, the creation
of a musical work as it is being performed. (Alperson, 1984, p 27)

Ed Sarath (1996) further advances the idea of improvisation's dual nature in his paper A
New Look At Improvisation. Although he focuses primarily on the differences between
composition and improvisation, his findings have a bearing on the choice of analytical models for
the study of improvised music. Using Narmour and Meyer's Implication/Realisation theory,
Kramer's concepts of temporal non-linearity and Clifton's ideas about phenomenology, Sarath
proposes that the essential difference between composition and improvisation is the way the two
activities vary with regard to time. Composition occurs discontinuously, is focused on creation of
a product, and is an activity characterised by 'expanding temporality'. He explains:

8
Algorithms are mechanical iterative processes used for solving problems. Computer programmes are
understandably populous with them, and it is among computer programmers that improvising algorithms are of
r,eatest interest.
Lawrence Gushee's analysis of Lester Young's solo on Shoe Shine Boy (Gushee, 1991) Paul Rinzler's analysis of
McCoy Tyner solos (Rinzler, 1983) and Gary Potter's analysis of Cannonball Alderley's solo on Straight, No Chaser
(Potter, 1990) are several notable exceptions of which the author is aware.

9
The composer may enter and freely traverse the past-present-future continuum of a work,
assuming the vantage point of the future to review and possibly alter the past, or that of the
past to view and rework the future . (Sarath, 1996, p 5)

Temporality for the composer then, has both "cumulative and reversible" qualities
(Sarath, 1996, p 6), thus affording opportunity to introduce relationships between events within a
piece that create large-scale symmetries and overall "logic". It is these symmetries that are of
great interest to music scholars.
In Sarath's view the position of the improviser is somewhat different. He or she operates
in a moment-to-moment manner, existing only in an eternal present, with an unchangeable past
and an unknown future. Each moment leads to the next; decisions about what to play are made
with regard only to the present (or 'just past') moment, not to an aggregate of all past moments
(i.e. each event is the result only of its immediate predecessor). Sarath describes this temporality
as "inner-directed", and then goes on to identify a third temporal directionality that combines
characteristics of both composition and improvisation, labeling it 'Retensive-protensive'.

Retensive-protensive, or RP, conception involves the projection of awareness in past and


future directions, thus sharing some similarity to the expanding conception of the
composer, and yet it occurs in the same continuous framework as does improvisation. RP
conception may therefore be invoked as a subordinate [to inner-directed] temporality by
improvisers, manifesting itself when past ideas are recalled and developed, or when future-
directed strategies are implemented. (Sarath, 1996, p 6)

Sarath explains that the more focused on the moment an improviser is, the more 'inner-
directed' they become, and the more heightened their awareness. This, he contends, equates to a
greater capacity for RP conception. It is clear therefore, that ' compositional' devices (e.g.
thematic development) are likely to occur in improvisations where the soloist has capacity for,
and utilizes, an RP conception.
To understand more fully Paul Bley's musical world, and in particular his improvisational
aesthetic, it is necessary to consider both the process of improvisation and its product. While the
preceding discussion has suggested that this is generally the case, it is particularly so with the
music of Paul Bley, precisely because he treats his improvisations as both. 10 By focusing on the

10
In conversation, Bley uses the terms ' composition' and ' improvisation' inter-changeably when discussing his
own, spontaneously created music.

10
processual nature of his music we can identify the formulaic approach he sometimes employs and
also gain an insight into the strong moment-by-moment connections that occur during his solos.
Bley himself acknowledges the importance of process in the performances of jazz musicians:

The jazz world likes mistakes because you can hear the process and you can hear the
musicians correcting. In the classical world there is a willingness to rehearse pieces until
they are perfect. How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice! That's not the way you get a
jazz reputation. The more daring you are as an improviser, the more engaged the listener is.
So it's a different aesthetic. The whole idea of getting it right the first time is a 'jazz
11
aesthetic'.

Bley ' s improvisations may be regarded as product because he brings his extensive
compositional training to bear as he performs these 'spontaneous compositions'. Some of the
unifying features that are essentially 'compositional' in nature - most notably thematic
development in the form of 'motivic chain association' - are evidence of this.
The analytical tools chosen for this paper reflect the dual nature of Bley's music.
Examination of thematic development, a reductive technique, is used as well as a study of the
formulaic construction of his solos and their relation to the ease of particular hand movements, a
processual approach.
For clarity the solos examined in this paper are played over 'standard' tunes, with
recognisable melodies and chord progressions. Two tunes were chosen, Long Ago And Far
Away 12 and All The Things You Are 13, and three performances of each were transcribed and
analysed. The performances were drawn from a thirty-year period and are found on several of
Bley's commercially available recordings made between 1963 and 1993 .14 While there is
evidence of development in Bley's playing over that time, the similarities between his approaches
in 1963, 1985 and 1993 are striking, so the solos presented here are to some extent
representative. 15

11
Conversations with Paul Bley, 2001.
12
Composed by Jerome Kem, copyright 1944, TB Hams Co.
13
Composed by Jerome Kem, copyright 1939, TB Hams Co.
14
Extracts from extensive discussions with Bley about the nature of improvisation and the content of the recordings
considered during this project provide some enlightening insights and are found in Appendix 1.
15
'Representative', in the case of Paul Bley, is something of an oxymoron, though there are aspects of his musical
style that single him out from other jazz pianists. The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD (Cook, Morton. 2000) states:
"There is probably no other pianist currently active with a stylistic signature as distinctively inscribed as Paul Bley's
- which is ironic, for he is a tireless experimenter with an inbuilt resistance to stopping long in any one place" The
solos presented in these transcriptions are representative in as much as they reveal the way he introduces sudden
harmonic shifts, utilises a subtly varied pulse and plays strongly melodic lines. They are not representative of his

11
Bley is particularly faithful to the essential metrical framework of the two pieces
presented here (32 bars and 36 bars respectively). Consistent with his apprenticeship under
Omette Coleman however, Bley adopts a fairly free approach to these pieces. He often pays little
regard to the accepted chord changes of the tunes and instead allows his melodic line to
determine its own path through the performances. In addition, Bley often disregards the melody
of the tunes and begins with his own, new melody. In conversation he has noted:

My feeling these days is that if you can tell what song we are playing, we are not doing our
job properly, even if you are a pianist sitting beside my left hand and are listening to a
piece you have played for years. If at the end of the performance they say, "What was that
piece?", then you have succeeded in really re-working the piece. You don't want to play
every section as it was written; you are trying to change as much as possible . It's re-
composition, essentially. 16

In the 1963 recordings the melody is performed so those transcriptions begin at the point
where the piano solo starts. Transcriptions of later performances, where Bley disregards the
melody, begin from the start of the tune.
Transcription and analysis of recordings Bley made prior to his experiences with Ornette
Coleman reveal an altogether different pianist, one rooted in the conventions of 'bebop' style jazz
and playing improvised lines consonant with or complimentary to the chord progressions. 17 For
this reason the sample for this paper begins after 1958. Paul Bley's solos from that time onwards
exhibit a number of traits found in Omette Coleman's improvisations, so it is useful to begin by
considering Coleman's melodic conception.

electronic music, his more contrapuntal work, his extensive solo catalogue and his completely freely improvised
music. Those areas do however exhibit the three traits mentioned above.
16
Conversations with Paul Bley, 2001.
17
For a more detailed examination of this earlier style, see the author's paper: "Paul Bley: Building On the
Innovations Of Ornette Coleman" (Meehan, 200 I).

12
Ornette Coleman
Omette Coleman's arrival on the jazz scene, and particularly his tenure at The Five Spot 18
m 1959, was surrounded by controversy. Reactions ranged from adulation to disgust, and
musicians as well as critics joined the debate. Criticism of Coleman sprang largely from his
rejection of pre-determined harmonic frameworks as a formative element in jazz performance and
the basis for improvisation. 19 In addition, an apparently lack-lustre technique and the use of tones
outside of the equally tempered scale added fuel to his detractors' accusations. Roy Eldridge
stated: "He's putting everybody on. They start with a nice lead-off figure, but then they go off
into outer space. They disregard the chords and they play odd numbers of bars. I can't follow
them" (Hentoff, 1961, p 218). For his devotees however, Coleman's music heralded a new
approach to jazz performance and the solution to a long-standing impasse in the evolution of jazz.
Bley explained:

You see, Ornette solved, in a single swoop, a problem that had been accumulating for ten
years ... There was nothing left to play on songs ... [they] had been worn out as a basis to
play on. So what Ornette did was to say that after the tune is over you only have to play on
one of the centres of the tune .. . And by ignoring the deadlines at the end of the chorus
lines, it opened up the player to be able to breathe when he wanted, to think what he
wanted to think, and to pay as little or as much attention to the chord progression as he
chose. (Klee and Smith, 1974, p 13)

Coleman's approach to improvisation during the late 1950s exhibited several traits that
were later to become defining characteristics. These signature features are found on his first two
recordings for Contemporary, his early recordings for Atlantic, and were in evidence when Bley
played with him in 1958 (documented on The Fabulous Paul Bley Quintet, America AM 6120).
The first, and perhaps most the significant of these distinguishing features is the predominantly
modal orientation (to the point of 'nursery rhyme' simplicity) of his playing, with the important
caveat that the tonal-center of the improvisations shifted at the improviser's will. This
contravened the 'rule' of jazz improvising that declared that the harmony of the tune should
determine the direction of the solos. It also forced Bley to reconsider his hypothesis regarding the
possible origin of ideas leading to a new direction for jazz:

18
Renowned jazz club in New York City.
19
For a more complete explanation of these ideas, and a fuller description of Coleman's music, see the chapter on
Omette Coleman in Ekkehard Jost's (1974) survey and analysis of free jazz, Free Jazz.

13
We really thought that composition would point the way, because our jazz experience -
regardless of how any of us felt about the song fonn - had taught us that the direction of
the improvisation is described by the nature of the written material. Suddenly it was clear
that the improvisation could be directed not by the nature of the composition, but by the
nature of what the premise is to improvise on. (Bley, Lee, 1999, p 67)

Coleman's solos exhibited great melodic impetus, but the most startling feature was the
way in which that impetus determined shifts in tonality. Jost identified a new type of motivic
improvisation in Coleman's playing which he described as ' motivic chain association' 20 (Jost,
1974, p 50). With this term Jost described the way in which Coleman developed themes during

his solos that were independent of the melody of the piece (and any chord progression) and
21
allowed their continuing evolution to direct his solos. Coleman's solo on Chronology (Musical
Examples, page 46) reveals this type of playing. In this example, melodic cells that lead from one
to the next are bracketed to demonstrate this characteristic. While motivic development had been
evident in the playing of Sonny Rollins22 some years earlier, Coleman was the first to allow the
motifs forming the improvised melodic line to stray from the chord progression of the tune and
shape the harmonic structure of the material.
Charlie Haden described this approach as " ... a constant modul ation that was taken from
the direction of the composition, and from the direction inside the musician, and from listening to
each other" (Litweiler, 1992, p 148), although Jimmy Garrison's explanation is perhaps more
helpful:

I really had to study his theory, which is too long to go into here: but an integral part of it is
that you take a note like C: C can be the tonic of C; it can be the major third of Ab; it can
be the fifth of F; it can be the ninth of Bb. Knowing that any note can be part of a whole
spectrum of notes, you train yourself to think in that manner and as a result you come up
with melodies you didn't know existed. (Wilson, 1999, p 39)

With the introduction of this technique, Coleman signalled one of his major innovations;
the primacy of melodic continuity over adherence to pre-determined harmonic structures. This
melodic conception of sequentially associated motifs and ideas can be identified throughout both

20
This idea, advanced by Jost (1974) provides one of the clearest explanations of what makes Coleman's music so
melodic, coherent and attractive.
21
Coleman, Omette. Beauty Is A Rare Thing. New York, Atlantic Recording Corporation R2 71410, 1959 - 1961
22
See Schuller (1958) and Watson (2001)

14
Coleman and Bley's solos, creating such a similarity between their work that critic Stanley
Crouch observed, " ... Paul Bley is to Ornette Coleman what Bud Powell was to Charlie Parker."
([Crouch,] quoted in Davis, 2000)

15
Paul Bley

Harmonic mobility
Omette Coleman had articulated his desire to move away from fixed chord changes and
toward a spontaneously and collectively determined music in 1958. In the liner notes to his first
album, Something Else (Contemporary, 1958, COP 024 (C3551)) he reported to Nat Hentoff,
" .. .I would prefer it if musicians would play my tunes with different changes as they take a new
23
chorus so there'd be all the more variety in the performance" (Hentoff, 1958). Paul Bley has
himself further elaborated upon this point, noting:

The idea is that you are going from point 'A' to point 'B', and it's totally up to you what
you want to do in that interval, so long as you leave point 'A' and you arrive at point 'B'. I
call that 'harmonic improvising'. Improvising doesn't need to be confined to melodic and
rhythmic improvising, why not include harmonic improvising? And if an idea occurs in an
improvising context 1 it shouldn't happen again, it should only happen at that one point.
That way it keeps its freshness and its surprise. You haven't reharmonised the piece, you
have just improvised a harmonic innovation in a piece. That keeps it in the spirit of
. 24
1mprov1sahon.

This music, above all, celebrates the supremacy of the melodic line over the harmony. In
Stopping Time, Bley confessed to " . .. never having been a lover of chords - I always though that
a chord was a vertical melody played simultaneously - if a chord couldn't be stripped down and
each note made to line up to make a meaningful melody, it wasn't a good chord ... " (Bley, Lee,
1999, p 71). This perhaps reveals why he was so willing to embrace Coleman's approach and
allow the improvised line such a defining role in his music.
This approach to improvising is perhaps the single most striking feature of Paul Bley's
solos. Listeners accustomed to hearing more conventionally resolved harmonies in jazz
performance are confused and sometimes shocked by the divergence that exists in this music
between the harmonic progression (chord changes) and the improvised line. Henry Martin ( 1996)
has observed that, "Bop tunes will usually maintain harmonic and formal clarity in order to

23
Bley's approach differs from that ofOrnette Coleman in that Coleman generally makes" .. . no attempt to follow
[the] form in the improvisation" (Porter, 1995), whereas Bley closely adheres to the metrical framework of the tunes
he uses as the basis for his improvisations. On this point he is emphatic, stating, "If you hummed the melody of the
song over the entire performance you would be at the right point of the song at all times. That's the bottom line ... "
(Conversations with Paul Bley, 2001)
24
Conversations with Paul Bley, 2001.

16
provide a solid large-scale basis for improvisation" (p 13), yet it is this very formative element
that Bley (and Coleman before him) abandoned in their' improvising. This type of playing, where
the new melodies shift in and out of a number of clearly discernable keys without settling into
bitonality or polytonality (music simultaneously in two or more keys) could be described as
'pantonal' .25 In Bley's solos this panton~lity assumes several forms. Bley sometimes begins lines
that are consonant with the changes, continuing to play in that tonality while the changes move
on through their progression. For example, see Long Ago And Far Away (1993), measures 135 -
139, where Bley plays a long phrase (heard as a blues gesture) in F that remains in that tonality
even after the chords have moved to a new tonal centre (Ab). A second approach he uses is to
play a phrase in a completely unrelated tonality. A very clear example of this is found in All The
Things You Are (1963), Figure 1, where a long phrase in D major is superimposed over
essentially unrelated chords.

Pantonal plrrase: All The Things You Are (1963), measures 77 - 84


Dmin 7 G7 C

$ E!r Ff f r u I tit u er J 7 I Jf f ~p [j I R 1&3 nJ jJ I


......................--------------------------------- D Major ---------------------------------------------------------

Cmin 7 Fmin 7

$ J1 p11r P J1, 1 #n n Ji J
----- --- ----- ------ ----- ---------- -------- ----- ---- ----- D Maj or --- --------- -- -- ------- ---- --- ----- -- -- -- ---------- - ---

Figure 1

There are many other, similar examples of this technique throughout the sample, and
these are clearly evident in the transcriptions.
A third approach Bley uses is to play lines that anticipate approaching chords, beginning
those lines 'outside' of the chord changes. An example of this approach is found in Long Ago And
Far Away (1963) in measure 44, where Bley anticipates an impending Ab tonality.

25
Pantonality is a term coined by Rudolph Reti in, Tonality. Atonality, Pantonality. London, England, Barrie and
Rockliff, 1958. First evident in the music of Wagner and Debussy, this notion of 'movable tonics' has been applied
to the music or Bart6k, Stravinsky and Hindemith among others in the twentieth century.

17
Motivic Improvisation

Examination of the transcriptions reveals many instances of melodic motifs adjacent to


identical, similar or related melodic cells. These concatenations, examples of motivic chain
association, are present in a variety of forms and provide valuable insights into understanding
Bley's music. Categorized by Michael Cogswell (1995) in his paper discussing Ornette Coleman,
they are listed in Figure 2. MCA refers to 'motivic chain association'.

Melodic Device Description


MCA pitch adjacent motifs containing similar pitch material (including
transposition of ideas)
MCA contour adjacent motifs with similar melodic contours
MCA rhythm adjacent motifs with similar rhythmic content
MCA variation: initial two adjacent phrases begin in a similar manner but then diverge
MCA variation: terminal adjacent phrases begin differently but converge to end in a similar
manner
Repetition adjacent motifs that are identical
Step Progression fragmented melodic line is contained within a longer phrase
Figure 2

The categories MCA Pitch, Contour and Rhythm are not mutually exclusive; clearly
chains that share pitch content will also have the same contour. In many cases the chains are
identified as being combinations of these two categories.
Step Progressions are examples of audible, if sometimes fragmented melodic lines
contained within longer melodic phrases. Generally these embedded lines follow a scale upwards
or downwards and the pitches are emphasized by their placement in the local melodic contour or
by being accented. Figure 3 is an example of a step progression in the playing of Cannonball
Adderley during his solo on Groovy Samba. 26 Similarly, Figure 4 shows a step progression from
Paul Bley's solo on All The Things You Are (1993). Pitches that make up the embedded line are
linked with slurs.

26
From Cannonball Adderley's Cannonball 's Bossa Nova (Riverside, 1963). This example is drawn from Cogswell
(1995).

18
Step Progression in Cannonball Adderlcy's solo on Groovy Samba (1963 ), measures 89-96
Emi F7 A7 Emi7
----.. ----=---=----.. - - -
' #- l Jl I J] n t1 F I j r f ., vI f ~I [] E1f I
A1 Emi7 B71>9

f n-rnz P 1 r P~r-:YTf r ?YT@ L3-J


Emi7

fJjJ ;gAf ILJ bd t F 1


Figure 3

Step Progression in All The Things You Are (1993), measures 35 51.
~ fu~ ~~

Db Dmin7 G7 c

Cmin7 Fmin7 Bb7

--- ~ ~ ~
~--
~ f "u l f l"LJ l f D If r f
Eb Ab Amin 7 D'

la~back --- ~
f' Ef
f If f f IP rf II
' f
Figure 4

19
All of the devices listed in figure 2 are used repeatedly throughout the sample, and create
melodic cohesion throughout the solos. The aesthetic imperatives that are in play with each
performance determine the degree to which particular devices are used. For example, in the mid-
1980s Bley had only recently returned to playing standards 27 and the novelty of that return,
coupled with the more ' romantic' tenor found in his approach at that time, meant that overall the
solos from that time were less chromatic and more tonally resolved than those recorded twenty
years earlier or ten years later. A contrasting approach is evident in the earlier solos (from the
early 1960s) when Bley was a recent adherent to the free jazz movement and chromatic content
was present to a greater degree. The transcriptions reveal the different melodic devices in use,
and by following the scores (in which the various techniques have been identified) whilst
listening to the recordings it is clear how these devices seamlessly flow into one another.
Analysis of Omette Coleman's improvised solos has led researchers to comment on a similar
continuity, one observing that, "almost without exception, every motive is related to the
preceding as well as to the succeeding motive" (Cogswell, 1995, p 115). The same can certainly
be said of these solos by Paul Bley and it is melodic continuity that distinguished his improvised
performances from those of many others at the 'freer' end of the jazz spectrum. To a very large
extent the coherence of these solos is attributable to the way chains of related melodic material
form a more or less continuous thread through each performance. Considering the degree to
which Bley played ideas tonally 'at odds' with the chord changes, such melodic coherence is
surprising. For example, in the 1963 recording of All The Things You Are, 5 8 of the 108 measures
transcribed are dissonant with the chord progression; in the 1993 recording of Long Ago And Far
Away, 86 of the 242 measures transcribed are dissonant with the changes.
Clearly each chain of associated motifs flows together to create melodic continuity. In
addition, Bley would frequently segue smoothly from one chain of ideas to the next, using
melodic elision to do so. Very clear examples are found throughout all of the solos and obvious
instances are listed in Figure 5.

27
Conversations with Paul Bley, 2001. This claim is substantiated by examination of his recordings over the course
of his career. During the 1960s he predominantly played free music and compositions by Carla Bley and Annette
Peacock, whilst during the 1970s similar music was explored but often using electronic instruments. The 1980s and
1990s have seen the inclusion of more of the standard jazz repertoire in his concerts and recordings along with the
material he had investigated during the previous twenty years.

20
Song Melodic elision (measures in which evident)
All The Things You Are (1963) 12-13, 25-27, 34-35, 37-39, 44-45, 53-55, 65-68, 100-102
All The Things You Are (1985) 12-16, 30-31, 51-53, 91 -93
All The Things You Are (1993) 34-35, 42-45, 51-54, 115-118, 124-125, 128-130, 144-145,
151-154
Long Ago And Far Away ( 1963) 4-5, 19-21 , 27-29, 44-45, 47-48
Long Ago And Far Away (1985) 30-34, 87-90, 134-136
Long Ago And Far Away (1993) 22-24, 30-33, 69-70, 88-90, 105-107, 111-113, 125-129, 148-
149, 174-177, 206-208, 225-227, 230-232
Figure 5
A particularly musical example of such melodic elision is found at the beginning of
Bley's solo on the 1963 recording of All The Things You Are, where his first phrase duplicates
and then develops the phrase Coleman Hawkins had played to end his own solo. This kind of
'communication ' between the musicians is common in Bley's work, and reflects both his
musicianship and the communal values28 in his art:

There's no need to bring your own set of inspiration to the bandstand if you are play ing
with geniuses. It's already going to be inspired, you just have to listen. To be able to pick
on somebody else's idea, and further elaborate it is an added finesse. If I play what the
other musicians played, and add to it, continuing the ideas, that's an extra skill. I am not
just bringing my own particular universe to [a] recording, I am taking [a] un iverse and
adding to it, instructing it. I can play [their] ideas, and squeeze them together more, or
stretch them out more. I can continue the process.29

Other examples of this melodic elision utilise: the continued use of a scale (All The Things
You Are (1963), measures 12-14: C blues being the unifying tonality/scale), a shared note to end
one phrase and begin the next (All The Things You Are (1985), measures 91-92), using a repeated
intervallic idea (All The Things You Are (1993), measures 31-35), development of a repeated
figure into a sufficiently altered form to be considered a new motif (All The Things You Are

28
Another outstanding example ofBley's musicianship operating as a concomitant to musical communication within
the ensemble is found in the first measures of All The Things You Are 1985, when Jesper Lundgaard (bassist)
mistakenly plays a measure of 3/4, an error Bley immediately accommodates in his improvised phrase without any
loss of coherence.
29
Conversations with Paul Bley, 2001

21
(1993), measures 43-45), repetition of a rhythmic figure (All The Things You Are (1993),
measures 124-125 and 128-130), strong harmonic movement into a new area (All The Things You
Are (1993), measures 144-145: Eb7b9 to approach Fmin7 as vi of Ab), repetition of a melodic cell
(Long Ago And Far Away (1985), measures 134-135).
In most cases the melodic chains indicated employ very similar rhythms and so the
transcriptions refer primarily to the pitch or contour relationships. In a few cases the MCA
rhythm category is referenced in conjunction with pitch or contour constructions. In those cases
the pitch or contour is somewhat ambiguous, and the rhythmic similarities (or differences)
between the fragments contribute to the unity of the passage. A good example of rhythm
contributing to unity between adjacent passages is found in the 1993 version of All The Things
You Are. Between measures 125 and 128 Bley plays four rhythmically identical figures
consecutively, but the melodic fragment is reversed (retrograde) part way through the phrase.
This creates a discontinuous melodic contour but does not compromise the unity of the phrase.
Rhythm is also used to great dramatic effect when phrases with similar pitch and rhythmic
content are displaced with respect to the beat, for example, in measures 49 - 55 of Long Ago And
Far Away (1985). In All The Things You Are (1993), displacement combined with variance of the
pulse is used to such good effect in the concluding measures (204 - 212) that three very similar
cells become (superficially, at least) almost unrecognisable whilst still conveying a sense of
thematic unity.
Rhythmic variance was also used to introduce subtle differences between similar motives.
During All The Things You Are (1993) Bley elaborated a motive throughout the first 16 bars,
returning to it after the bridge (measure 25), but subjecting it to rhythmic augmentation at that
point. In the opening passages the chromatic phrase occupied four beats on average; it was then
stretched to fill approximately six beats when reiterated during measures 25 - 33. Rhythmic
diminution of motives is also evident in these solos, notably in All The Things You Are (1985)
between measures 45-49, where the triplet quarter-note phrase becomes a sixteenth-note phrase.
Step Progressions, the embedded melodies discussed above, appear a number of times
throughout the sample, most commonly moving in a scalar manner. The whole-tone scale forms
the template of the step progression in measures 37 - 40 of All The Things You Are (1963), while
diatonic compliance with the major scale (Eb) is the organizing principle of the step progression
in measures 1 - 16 of All The Things You Are (1993). Some of the embedded progressions hover
in a local and harmonically ambiguous area, for example, the step progression in Long Ago And
Far Away (1963) measures 21 - 28; some are organized chromatically, such as the one in Long

22
Ago And Far Away (1963) measures 27 - 33. One progression of particular interest is that found
during All The Things You Are (1963) in measures 55 - 60, where the entire line is a sequence of
principally triadic structures whose roots move through a modified E mixolydian scale. The
harmonically disorienting effect of the major, minor and suspended triads is offset by the tonality
implied by the root progression - E mixolydian - the scale generated by the chord that would
normally appear at the end of the bridge (measure 59).

23
Freedom within the jazz ensemble

The harmonic mobility Bley was employing, along with the rhythmic freedom and nuance
he brought to the music (by playing well behind the beat, or pushing and pulling the phrases in
the time, for example) required the bassists and drummers he worked with to engage in the same
kind of musical dialogue that Coleman's ensemble had pioneered the previous decade.
As the soloist now determined the harmonic and rhythmic direction of a piece, it became
imperative that the other musicians hear that new (and evolving) direction and respond to it. It
became necessary for bassists (and any other players who accompanied harmonically) to follow
the direction of the soloist, responding to their lead. That response could be to accommodate or
contrast a harmonic change implied by the soloists, or to initiate a new harmonic direction of
their own. The point of the music-making had become interaction among the players and a
collective responsibility for the direction of the performance. This was a move away from the
primacy of the soloist, a stylistic trait of bebop and post-bebop jazz. As a consequence, bassists
(and any chordal instrument players) had to engage with the music rather more actively than they
had previously. 30
This change necessarily liberated these instruments from their more traditionally accepted
roles and allowed the introduction of great variety in the accompaniment they provided. This
emancipation of the traditional hierarchies in the jazz ensemble can be heard to good effect on the
recordings considered in this study, where Bley, bassists Peacock, Lundegaard and Anderson, and
drummers Motian, Higgins and Nussbaum weave in and around one another's lines, troubling the
underlying pulse of the tunes and generally exhibiting a very robust harmonic conception. The
debt to Coleman is clear, and the group interplay of these recordings is strongly reminiscent of
Coleman's quartet recordings for the Atlantic label. 31
Although this approach to melodic improvising and interaction within the jazz ensemble
was an advance on previous models, the pitch material both Bley and Coleman used to create

30
It is interesting to compare the early recordings of Bley considered in this paper with those pianist Bill Evans made
the same year with the same rhythm section . Evan's Trio 64 (New York, Verve, 1963. Gary Peacock and Paul
Motian accompany Evans) reveals a pianist somewhat at odds with his freewheeling rhythm section, and performing
with notable conservatism both rhythmically and harmonically. The writers of The Penguin Guide To Jazz on CD
observed: "It's hard listening to Footloose [Bley, Paul. New York, Savoy, 1962. Steve Swallow and Pete LaRoca
accompany Bley] after nearly twenty years, to understand why there was so very much excitement about Bill Evans
when Bley was producing far more interesting and challenging piano trio music, sometimes only a couple of blocks
away" (Cook, Morton, 1992, p 120).
31
Between 1959 and 1961 Omette Coleman recorded nine albums for the Atlantic label, often using Don Cherry on
trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass and either Billy Higgins or Ed Blackwell on drums. These quartet recordings
represent a 'high-water mark' among ' free jazz' recordings.

24
their phrases was quite conservative and closely related to the melodic language of jazz at the
time.

25
Continuity with the jazz tradition

Despite Bley's move away from the dominant paradigm of jazz improvisation, a move
that correlates to Omette Coleman's radical advances, he, like Coleman, did not abandon the jazz
vocabulary. Both musicians play phrases that are clearly located within the jazz tradition,
employing blues phrases, harmonic devices common to jazz (flatted 5ths and flatted 3rds against
dominant chords, common substitutions), and phrasing/articulation consistent with that of the
Louis Armstrong - Lester Young - Charlie Parker continuum. 32 Bley's playing exhibited
continued use of many of the devices common among jazz musicians that he had employed
during the 1950s prior to his exposure to Coleman. Examples of blues phrases, bebop lines,
sequences, enclosure phrases, chord spelling and common substitutions can be found to varying
degrees throughout these solos. Their collective effect is to help the music retain its 'jazz
identity', and coupled with Bley's secure swing feel and phrasing, they locate this music very
firmly in the jazz tradition. Bley himself has said " ... we were actively trying to figure out what
we could play that would take us into new territory, yet still make us feel like jazz
musicians ... these were the criteria, all based on a traditional jazz aesthetic" (Bley, Lee, 1999, p
87). Consequently, the chains of associated ideas played by both Bley and Coleman often
resemble the lines played by jazz musicians working closer to the tradition.
The table below (Figure 6) identifies clear examples of the melodic devices Bley used that
are common to jazz.
Tune Blues phrases Bebop phrases Enclosures Chord spelling*
All The Things You Are ( 1963) 5-6,50,85 I 0, 18,20,48-49,86 I 0-11 ,32,35,52 9,53,61,96
All The Things You Are ( 1985) 30,38,65-66,68 11- 12,27-28,53-55 27,30,66 10,l l ,18,60, 105
All The Things You Are ( 1993) 27, I 01, I 04, 153-6 57-9, 158-9, 178-9 4,6,11,12,104 105,115-6,156,177
Long Ago And Far Away (1963) 30-3 1,36 1,3-4,9,11,58 30,40,48,56
Long Ago And Far Away (1985) 105 ,118-1 20 93-5, 111-2, 134-5 94, 109, 133, 135 7,93, 107,142
Long Ago And Far Away (1993) 24-5,45-8,68,91 25-9,41-5,63,71-6 38,43,45,62, 7 1 51, 13 I, 186,213
Figu re 6
The numbers represent the measure in which the device in question appears.
Chord spelling diatonic to the changes

Improvised jazz solos, up until the late 1950s, were comprised mainly of chord spelling
and scalar passages. Over time these lines had become increasingly coloured by chromatic
content, and diatonic chord spelling was supplemented by the inclusion of chromatically altered
32
Tenor saxophone player James Clay noted that Omette Coleman could sound exactly like Charlie Parker
(Litweiler, 1992, p 54). Paul Bley toured with both Lester Young and Charlie Parker, and when asked, in 1955, to
identify his main musical influence, replied "Louis Armstrong" (Fulford, 1955/ 1994).

26
extensions (flatted 9ths, raised 1lths and so forth). Prior to the 1940s, flatted 5ths and the 'blues' 3rd

(or raised 9ths) were used predominantly as embellishments, and were quickly resolved to tones
within the diatonic scale, but after the innovations of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie during
the 1940s those 'altered' tones were emphasised and assumed a functional role in the music.
Simple diatonic passages that include chord spelling and scale-like lines are very common in the
sample examined, and Figure 7 and Figure 8 show examples of each. These are compared with a
passage from a Paul Desmond solo that includes similar diatonic playing.
F Gmin 7 c1 F

Scalar lines: Paul Bley, Long Ago And Far Away (1993), measures 51 - 61

Ami7 01

Scalar lines and chord spelling: Paul Desmond, All The Things You Are (1962), Bluebird ND 90364

Gmin 7 c1 F Gmin 7 c1
,--3----,

> >

01 B7

Cmin 7

E7 Fmi7

F
,----3 - i

Figure 7

27
Fmin7 B~'

1, f] p lg J w J 1zf J ~:CJ II
'"r 7 ~} j
t!
j
Chord spelling: All The ThinJ<s You Are ( 1985), measures I0 - 11

Figure 8
Bley also regularly employed blues phrases, and his fondness for both the sound of the
33
blues and the blues form itself is evident from his earliest recordings. In this sample, blues
fragments appear frequently, and an excellent example, shown in Figure 9, is from Long Ago And
Far Away (1993), measures 95 - 97. This phrase would sound equally appropriate in a Charlie
Parker or Lester Young blues improvisation. It is compared with a Charlie Parker phrase.
Paul Bley blues phrase: Long Ago And Far Away ( 1993), measures 95 - I00
F ,-3-, r3-, F

L-3 __J L-3 __J L-3 __J

Gmin 7 F Gmin'

Figure 9
Bley also made use of the whole-tone scale, another staple of the jazz vocabulary.
Amongst jazz improvisers the champion of this hexatonic scale was Thelonious Monk, and he
made frequent use of it both in his compositions and his improvised solos. Improvisers generally
employ this sound against augmented triads and augmented seventh chords, but Bley was a little
more catholic in his choice of contexts for the scale. The example shown (Figure 10) is drawn
from All The Things You Are (1993), measures 60 - 63. It is compared with a similar phrase of
Thelonious Monk, drawn from a solo on his tune Evidence. Other examples of the whole tone
scale in Bley's playing can be found in All The Things You Are (1963), measures 37 -38, and Alf
The Things You Are (1985), measures 61 - 64.

33
The blues also plays a significant role in the music Ornette Coleman has made, and his affinity for both the form
and the feeling of the blues led avant-garde saxophonist Archie Shepp to describe him as "the blues man." His use of
the blues tradition is explored in Lewis Porter's paper The "Blues Connotation" in Ornette Coleman's Music -And
Some General Thoughts On The Relation OfBlues to Jazz ( 1995).

28
All The Things You Are ( 1993), measures 60 - 63

Figure 10
Enclosure phrases, sometimes referred to as the use of ' upper and lower neighbour tones'
have been a part of the jazz argot since Louis Armstrong began recording. Many jazz improvisers
have used this type of melodic embellishment during the past seventy years. One of the
performers most proficient in their use was hard bop trumpeter Clifford Brown. Bley's use of an
enclosure phrase in Figure 11 is typical of hi s use of this particular melodic embellishment. It is
compared with a similar phrase performed by Clifford Brown.

Paul Bley: Long Ago And Far Away (1993), measures 45 - 48

Figure 11
Bley's use of 'altered dominant' sounds, such as b9th tones against dominant seventh
chords, or the super locrian scale34 for more dissonant effect, also reveal his jazz heritage. In
many places the use of chromatic passing tones gives his lines a jazz flavour, and in places the
super locrian scale is used in its entirety. Figure 12, from All The Things You Are (1993),
measures 89- 91 is a clear example of this.

34
The super locrian scale has been commonly used in jazz performance since the early 1940s, and is generally
played against dominant chords resolving to their tonic chord (i.e. 07 to C major). It is the seventh mode of the
melodic minor ascending scale; C super locrian is enharmonically equivalent to Db melodic minor ascending. It is
also known as the 'diminished whole-tone scale', the ' altered scale' and in some circles as the 'Pomeranian scale' .

29
Amin 7 D7 G

~ j 1 ~fJ ~@ ~u I E1f 1i@


Super Locrian phrase: All The Thimgs Yo u Are (1 993 ), measures 89 - 91
0 J I0 7 11J1 II

Figure 12

Bley also makes regular use of the diminished scale, both to create a diminished tonic
sound, and to suggest an ' altered' dominant (flatted 91h) tonality. These passages were often
brief, comprising four or five tones, but in places, such as in Figure 13, they extended over a
number of measures.

I r--- 3 ---,

I JJ 11 1,hJ J I
,--3- - , r -3 - - i ,---- 3 ----,

~r J sJ 1' 11'J J II
Diminished phrase: All The Things You Are (1 993), measures 122-1 28

Figure 13
Considering Bley' s determination to make music that was part of the jazz tradition, it is
not surprising that he puts many of these devices together to create lines that sound entirely
consistent with the style of jazz he played during his formative years. These lines infuse Bley's
solos with a character redolent of bebop and hard bop jazz playing. Figure 14 shows a line from
Long Ago And Far Away (1993), measures 70 - 75 . This phrase includes; arpeggios, scalar lines,
enclosures and 'bluesy' acciaciaturas, and clearly belongs within the jazz idiom.

Gmin 7 C7 F Gmin 7 C7

~1 J Llf Ur I[j B @ ffl l~F 0 i,1g id


AP

~J
Jazz phrase: Long Ago And Far Away (1 993), measures 70- 75

Figure 14
Clearly Bley's choice of pitch material was largely located within the 'jazz tradition' and
by drawing upon the conventions established by Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, Charlie Parker

30
and Dizzy Gillespie he created music strongly reminiscent of their styles. The way he utilised that
material relative to the harmonic framework of the tunes marked his improvising as distinct from
those earlier styles. This melodic concept, drawing on ideas that were related to Ornette
Coleman's shift away from the hegemony of fixed harmony and tonality 35 heralded Bley's move
beyond tonal music.

35
Cogswell (1995) commented that, "Although his motivic vocabulary comes directly from the vocabulary of swing,
bebop, and rhythm & blues, Coleman strings theses traditional motives together into novel metrical and melodic
patterns. His innovation lies not in the creation of a new vocabulary, but in his redefinition of musical grammar and
syntax" (p 109).

31
Beyond tonal music

An important idea found in Coleman's music is that of 'erasure phrases'. Bley described
these as being, " ... where there were some phrases that were tonal and well-tempered, and some
phrases that were deliberately not tonal and well-tempered" (Bley, Lee, 1999, p 67). Examples of
these passages are found in many of Coleman's solos, and the performances of Focus on Sanity 36
and Bird Food 37 contain excellent examples. Bley elaborated upon this idea:

An 'erasure phrase' is meant to do nothing else except erase from your memory what you
just heard ... clean the blackboard, so to speak, before you write the next music. It' s not
there to tell you anything; it is there to make you forget. It's there to cleanse the palette. 38

As a pianist, it was not possible for Bley to reproduce Coleman's erasure phrases,
employing as they did ' unequal' temperament and micro-tonality39, yet he still managed to
produce their effect in his solos from the early 1960s 01:iwards. During All The Things You Are
(1963) Bley repeatedly follows passages that are largely tonal with phrases of densely packed
notes that do not register any particular tonal centre, phrases that are more like 'sound gestures'
than coherent melodies. These lines obscure the tonality and sometimes unsettle the ' time' and so
have an effect on the listener much like that created by Coleman when he played his non-
tempered erasure phrases. Similar examples are found in All The Things You Are ( 1993),
measures 133 - 141 , Long Ago And Far Away (1985), measures 127 - 103 and in the same tune
from 1993 in measures 101 - 105, 173 - 174, 188 - 203, and 221 - 223.
Bley claimed that to find out what to play, it was necessary to first identify everything that
had been played before, and then to do something different. 40 This rigorously modernist aesthetic
manifested even within his solos. Often, after playing an idea, he would stop, play an erasure
phrase to 'erase the memory' of what had just been played, then move on to the next idea. These
phrases were intended to confuse the listeners ' sense of tonality and were effective to that end for
several reasons. First, all such passages were played quickly and this serves to intensify their
disorienting affect. Second, the subdivisions in use almost always varied subtly over the course of

36
Coleman, Omette. Beautv ls A Rare Thing. New York, Atlantic Recording Corporation, 1959 - 1961
37
Ibid.
38
Conversations with Paul Bley, 2001.
39
Bley has said, "[Coleman) could play A440, A444 or A436 or any A you wanted. Unfortunately I didn't have the
flexibility that he had when it came to hitting A" (Smith, 1979, p 4). Perhaps this limitation of the acoustic piano was
one of the reasons Bley was drawn to electronic music and synthesisers.
4
Conversations with Paul Bley, 2001.
32
the phrase, and while they appear in the score as triplets or sixteenth notes, they often 'fall
between the cracks' of these subdivisions. Bley observed:

[Jazz playing is about] being able to go from any of the ways to play time at any moment
to a different way, informing each part of the music with something different, opposite.
You need to be able to have that kind of control. I should, hopefully, be able to play so
slowly that listeners are sure that I am not even playing time, when in fact I am playing an
exaggerated form of 'behind the time.' I could also play an exaggerated form of 'ahead of
the time' or right on the time. I can change that in a phrase: the first part of the phrase
could be this aesthetic, followed by the second part of the phrase, which is another
41
aesthetic.

Third, erasure phrases also frequently contain pantonal (and at times atonal 42) material.
The effect of these various tonalities being juxtaposed in such a short period of time is
harmonically disorienting and enhanc~s the climate of uncertainty these passages generate. Figure
15, drawn from All The Things You Are (1963), measures 50 - 53, shows an erasure phrase
moving through a variety of tonal centers largely at odds with the changes of the tune. In
performance the effect is startling; it creates a sharp demarcation between the phrases that
precede it and those that follow. Although this device was drawn from Omette Coleman's music
rather than from twentieth century concert music43 , it is not the only idea Bley utilizes from
Coleman's approach that has corollaries in Western art music of the last century.

Amin1

CBlues E Major I E Lydian

B Major Bb Major

Erasure phrase: All The Things You Are ( 1963), measures 50 - 53.

Figure 15

41
Conversations with Paul Bley, 2001
42
Atonal in this case refers to passages that have no fixed tonal centre, but that are not necessarily ' serial' in nature.
In fact, there do not appear to be any strictly 'serial' passages in the music under consideration.
43
It could be said these ideas are related to Bart6k's use of polymodal chromaticism and the atonal music of the
Viennese school.

33
Non-equivalence of pitch classes

Cogswell (1995) identifies alternation of register as an effective tool in Omette Coleman's


solos, concluding that its use: "displays an inspired balance between continuity and contrast" (p
134). While this is certainly the case, in Bley's performances such movements across registers
also denote non-equivalence of pitch classes.

If you are sitting at a keyboard, you find a universe below middle C and a universe above
middle C, and as Ornette [Coleman] said, they should have picked eighty-eight different
names for the notes on the piano, because they are not really related. The fact that they give
them the same names gives you a false way of viewing them. They are sound sources that
are unlike each other; every note is different from every other note.44

A good example of this is found in Long Ago And Far Away (1985) in measures 65 - 72.
Here Bley uses a simple octave motif that develops to become a minor 9th interval followed by a
major ih. The contrast between the lower note and the higher, and the greater weight it confers
upon the music is arresting. Further, if the passage were re-written with the closest possible
intervals (minor seconds) the phrase would lose its dramatic effect. (It is possible that Bley was in
fact making a reference to the motif he played throughout his second chorus; the motif comprised
of a repeated interval of a tone (measures 32 - 36), but was transposed and changed to a repeated
semitone interval in measure 41 to accommodate the new register and tonal centre. Nevertheless,
the passage suggests that pitch classes are not always considered equivalent in Bley's music.)
Similar examples appear in Long Ago And Far Away (1993), measures 32 ~ 43 and compared
45
with measure 37, and in a number ofrecordings not part of the sample considered here.

44
Conversations with Paul Bley, 2001
45
Roger Dean's (1992) study of improvised music discusses the chords Bley plays, and contrasts his use of clusters
with the motivic use of widely spaced intervals, noting that they, " ... create a harmonic openness beyond the simpler
implications of the pitches themselves when reduced to the closest spacing" (p 110). Dean identifies this as an
awareness of"a lack of total equivalence of pitch sets" (p 110) and relates it to some of the timbral devices Bley
uses.

34
Thematic Unity

Paul Bley views improvisation and composition as the same activity. To him, a jazz
musician is a 'composer in real-time' and he rejects the more traditional model of composers,
noting:

This whole ethos of composers locking themselves up to produce a masterpiece is an old


model, a pre-recording model. It's not the model for the present. Nobody comes to your
house and composes for you to make music.46

In light of this view, and considering Bley's training in composition at Juilliard in the
1950s, it is not surprising to find techniques commonly employed by composers in the classical
arena present in Bley's improvised music. A notable example is in the area of thematic
development and recapitulation. Just as these devices are effective in unifying scored
compositions, they serve to create threads of thematic unity throughout Bley's performances.
While Smith (1982) regards with suspicion the possibility that this kind of thematic unity can be
routinely, spontaneously improvised, other writers are more comfortable with the idea. Gunther
Schuller's advocacy of this view was declared in his paper Sonny Rollins and Thematic
Improvisation (1958). Henry Martin 's (1996) study of Charlie Parker's improvisations also uses
this type of analysis and Jeff Pressing ( 1988) defends its use with his set-theory representation of
improvisation, stating that, "Decision making in the [next moment] may in principle extend well
back before [the present moment], depending upon the degree of pre-selection used by the
performer, and will also extend slightly into the future ... " (p 153). Whatever the arguments,
however, there do appear to be a number of clear examples of thematic development and unity in
Paul Bley's improvisations. In some cases the themes developed are melodic in nature, but
timbral and rhythmic ideas are also developed in this manner during his solos.
Clear examples of melodic material being developed are found throughout these solos,
and it is particularly noticeable where motivic chain association is in play. Almost all of the
examples of motivic chain association identified above are examples of local thematic
development and as discussed, these lend the improvisations coherence and a 'story-telling'
quality. In places, a single motif is developed over extended periods, creating considerable
coherence. For example, during All The Things You Are (1993), a single motif is reworked and

46
Conversations with Paul Bley, 2001

35
developed over most of the first 36 measures. More rare, but of great interest, are the instances
where Bley revisits a motif that has been developed earlier in a performance. In All The Things
You Are (1963), Bley plays a small melodic cell in measure 62 that is repeated and developed
until measure 66. After a short break, the motif reappears in measure 69 before the flow of the
improvisation moves elsewhere. During the last few measures of the solo however, the motif
makes a striking reappearance, subtly altered and transposed down a third. The effect of
reintroducing this motif to end the solo creates a sense of closure and completeness that allows
the music to settle at that point in the performance. A similar example is found in All The Things
You Are (1985) where a four note descending motif is developed during the opening 8 measures
of the performance. An almost identical motif (transposed and rhythmically altered, but using
essentially similar pitch material) is introduced between measures 45 and 52, and in measures 89
- 91 another, related four-note descending motif is played before Bley ends the performance. In
this final chain, the motifs are rhythmically identical to the phrase played in measures 48 - 51 but
are organised chromatically.
A clear example of a timbral/rhythmic idea being re-introduced and thereby creating unity
between several passages is found in All The Things You Are (1993) during measures 161 - 168
and 205 - 212. In these places Bley plays a passage that alternates single tones and groups of
thirds. These cells are then rhythmically displaced (measures 162 - 164 and measures 206 - 208)
before being resolved.
These instances of thematic recurrence are examples of compositional thinking during
improvised performance, a hallmark ofBley's music.
Along with this kind of thematic elaboration, another device Bley employs and one he
shares with Sonny Rollins, is the use of fragments of the melody to re-orient the solo to the song
form. This enhances the melodic contour of the solos and increases their coherence. Examples of
passages that refer to the melody of the tune are marked on the transcriptions, and occur in all but
one of the performances. Taken together, these various approaches lend great variety and interest
to Bley's improvisations.

36
Processual Considerations

In Homer, Gregory and Bill Evans? The Theory of Formulaic Composition in the context
of Jazz Piano Improvisation Gregory Smith (1982) observed that certain movements that fell
naturally 'under the hand' recurred frequently in Bill Evans' improvised performances and
further, that Evans often shaped his lines in a manner that economised hand movement.
Musicians are quick to acknowledge the primacy of the ' motor memory' of the hand during the
act of improvising, 47 and commentators have used it as an explanation for certain aspects of
improvisation. Gunther Schuller (2000) has opined that Ornette Coleman "plays as much 'from
his fingers' as by ear" (p 230) and Jeff Pressing (1988) has offered a survey of the ideas and
literature discussing motor memory in, Improvisation : methods and models. Paul Bley himself
has consciously fostered the act of improvising without the conscious intervention of the intellect,
allowing his hands to determine their passage across the keys . "The hand has its own desires ...
and they have a certain destiny that they feel as hands, leaving the brain aside.'.4 8 While it is far
from clear that the hand can in fact operate in a manner entirely independent of the brain (and in
the case of music-making, the ear), it is reasonable to concede that certain movements become
familiar to the hands and that with familiarity these movements are more likely to be employed
during improvisation than movements with which the hand is less familiar, or that are awkward
or difficult to execute. While it would be revealing to study Paul Bley's improvisations in the
manner and to the depth that Gregory Smith investigated Bill Evans' music, it is well beyond the
scope of the present study. There are however, some very clear examples of what appear to be the
'desires of the hand' being allowed to influence the flow of the melodic line in Paul Bley's
playing. These examples warrant consideration, and reveal deeper patterns in his art.

47
David Sudnow's essay Ways Of The Hand (1978) reveals a musician coming to terms with the primacy of the
physiognomy and mechanical predilections of the hand in his development as a jazz musician. Sudnow makes a
number of apposite observations that relate his experiences of this phenomenon: " ... the fingers were ... going places I
could not find myselfable to see I had specifically taken them" (p 84).
48
Conversations with Paul Bley, 2001. Extracts from these conversation relevant to this idea are found in Appendix
1.

37
Four Note Motif
/)

t_J

LongAgoAndFarAway( l 993), 75

I All The Things You Are (1993), 89 T


I Long Ago And Far Away ( 1993), 2351
/)
- I

1 Long Ago And FarAway(l993), 219 1

I Long Ago And Far Away (1993), 27

Long Ago And Far Away ( 1985), 119


I LongAgoAndFarAway (l993), 180
I Long Ago And Far Away ( 1985), 94
I

-
1Long Ago And Far Away (1993), 218 T

1Long Ago And Far Away (1985), 112

Figure 16
The transcriptions reveal a number of small melodic cells or formulae that Bley plays
repeatedly over the course of several solos, two of which wi ll be examined here. The first, found
in Figure 16, is a common lick among jazz musicians, and can be found in solos by Clifford
Brown and Charlie Parker, among many others. 49 In the transcriptions considered here, Bley
plays this phrase with either C or F as the tonic (those using F as a tonic are marked with 'T' to
distinguish them as having been transposed).50 The fingering is (probably) identical in either key:
3 123 or 3 121 (depending on what fo llows), where 1 is the thumb of the right hand. The harmonic
context of the motif varies. It occurs diatonically against F, C7 and Bb chords and, in slightly
more chromatic settings, against the Ab and Emin7 chords. Against the Ab chord, the phrase is
surprising only because of the presence of the A natural. This note passes quickly enough to be
accommodated by the ear as a chromatic approach note to the Bb however; other than that the
line is diatonic to the chord changes. Against the Emin7 chord, the line is quite chromatic but, if

49
This phrase has appeared in tunes; for example in "Boplicity'', by Miles Davis, 4 measures from the end. It is also
~esent in Figure 3 of this paper, performed by Cannonball Adderley.
Two other instances where this phrase is played in the sample are noteworthy. During All The Things You Are
(1963), measures 84-84, Bley plays this phrase with Das the tonic, superimposing it over an Eb/Ab tonality. The
strongly melodic nature of the phrase, played in a half-step/tritone relationship to the chord changes, creates up a
strongly bi-tonal effect. During Long Ago And Far Away ( 1963), measure 50, Bley also uses this phrase. Tonally this
example is reasonably diatonic, set against Amin7 - 07, but the passage is phrased in triplets, and the new rhythm
casts the melodic cell in quite a different light.

38
chromatic but, if A 7 were substituted for the Emin7 (V7 in place of ii7 [in the key of D], a
common substitution), the line becomes diatonic to A 'super locrian' scale, a very suitable choice
in jazz performance after 1945. When Bley includes this phrase, what is of great interest is the
way he modifies its context, displaying a wide variety of ways both 'into' and 'out or the motif.
The lower two staves of figure 16 show how this fragment can be viewed as being embedded in a
longer phrase. Musicians with a more formulaic, cliche-driven approach generally play longer
passages that repeat phrases verbatim. Charlie Parker, for example, would often play short
passages (about 8 - 12 eighth notes, though sometimes longer) that repeated note for note a
phrase that had appeared in that or other performances. Bley however, seldom plays more than 4
or 5 notes in common with another passage before directing the line elsewhere . Bley's
determination to surprise the listener is clearly operating even at this very local level, not just in
the broader gestures of the music. All of the phrases in the sample that use this melodic cell are
shown in Figure 17.
A second melodic cell that appears frequently is shown in Figure 18. This small 'bluesy'
fragment is a very common jazz cliche. Again, Bley finds a wide variety of ways 'into', and 'out
of the melodic cell, and he plays it in a variety of harmonic contexts. Generally the phrase is
played in F major, and so creates a strong reference to the tonal centre. In one of the examples it
is played against an Eb chord, creating a Lydian sound. In the final (transposed) example, the
motif, in F, is superimposed over a Gb chord creating a very chromatic, dissonant effect. This
passage appears to be part of an 'erasure phrase' however, and in this light Bley's choice of pitch
material is unsurprising. Once again, these passages are remarkable for their diversity. Even at
this very local level Bley's improvisations only briefly conform to formulae before the solos are
directed along new lines.

39
Long Ago And Far Away (1993 ), 235 AP

c1

Long Ago And Far Away (1993), 2 18 - T C7

LongAgoAnd FarAway( 1993),2 l 9 BP

Long Ago And Far Away (1993), 27 BP

All The Things You Are (1993), 89 -T Emi7 (A 7alt)

long Ago And Far Away (1985), 119 F

c1

>

Figure 17

40
Long Ago And Far Away (1985), 119 F

-fl - ,.
,.
t) l-----' - -
Long Ago And Far Away (1985), 112 c1
fl
- - - -
~

-
~

t)
:: '
1---' -- >
:: ,.

long Ago And Far Away (1993), 96 F


ll ___,
- . - -
,.

~ L---' .. 1:>7 ~

long Ago And Far Away (1993), 181 F


fl -
~
t)
- l-----'
- -- ~

- ,.

Long Ago And Far Away (1993), 218 - T c1


fl ____...,
.,
t)
- :: v r

l-----'
- - - .
~

~
:: - ,.

longAgoAndFarAway( l993), 74-T ED


fl ~

t) , r - - - ,.

All The Things You Are (1985), 54 - T F


Ii ,-, I ~
,.

~ I '---I - - ... 1:>7 ~


,.

GI>
All The Things You Are (1963), 23 - J3 r=--3---, r-3 ---,
fl C_---, --,

- - - - - - ... - ...-
I

~
- :: ~ :: ,.
,.
,.
t)

Figure 18
Sudnow (1978) would probably consider the diversity of contexts Bley finds for these
melodic cells a reflection of the 'hand's desires' (see footnote 40). With cognisance to Bley's
considerable experience as an improviser, experience that could be equated with 'practice', this
idea corresponds to the view posited by Pressing (1988). Observing that it may seem reasonable
to claim that, "Practice leads to apparently resource free automatic productions for consistent

41
processing but does not reduce (attentional) resources needed for a varied processing task" (p
14051 ), he adds this important qualifier:

... part of the result of extensive practice of improvisation is an abstraction to greater and
greater generality of motor and musical controls to the point where highly variable , often
novel, specific results can be produced based on the automatic use of general, highly
flexible and tuneable motor programmes. (Pressing 1988, p 140)

The words "automatic use of' suggests that 'the hand' does in fact make these many and
varied choices, creating interest and variety even at very local levels. While this argument is
persuasive, especially considering how little time the mind has to make decisions during the flow
of an improvised performance, Sarath' s (1996) arguments for intellectual involvement and
decision-making remain compelling. Using Sarath's ideas, and considering the frequency with
which Bley appears to be making decisions about what to play, (a consideration supported by his
claim that "everything is deliberate" 52) it is reasonable to conclude that Bley's conception is
strongly 'inner directed' and this would suggest that the potential of a Retensive-Protensive (RP)
temporality is great. The presence of melodic devices normally associated with composition
(such as motivic development and thematic unity) further support the claim that Bley employs an
RP temporality when improvising. Whatever the reasons for such variability at local levels with
essentially similar pitch material (and there are other theoretical explanations for the use of
formulaic elements not discussed here), Bley does play passages that lie well under the hand,
often repeating hand shapes in the formation of his lines. 53 Further examples of common hand
shapes being repeated over a passage occur in numerous passages throughout the sample, and are
clearly identifiable in the instances documented in the Figure 19.

51
Quoting Schneider and Fisk (1983)
52
Conversations with Paul Bley, 2001.
53
Whether this is directed by the 'desires of the hand', or by the mind making choices (that may consider motor
efficiency,) is something of a 'chicken or egg' debate, and is beyond the scope of this inquiry.

42
Title Measures in which 'hand shapes' are present
All The Things You Are (1963) 27 -31
All The Things You Are (1985) 48- 51, 56 - 59, 89 - 91
All The Things You Are (1993) 45 - 50, 61 - 70, 161 - 168
Long Ago And Far Away (1963) 21-26
Long Ago And Far Away (1985) 65 - 70, 81 - 87, 97 - 104
Long Ago And Far Away (1993) 81 - 88, 113 - 119, 227 - 230
Figure 19

Other places where ease or efficiency of hand movement may be a formative element in
the construction of the improvised line include; use of chromatically descending passages,
frequent inclusion of scalar patterns employing diminished scales, and some instances of chord
54
spelling.
While it is difficult to draw any general conclusions from this data, it can be said with
some confidence that Bley does regularly employ motifs that fall under the hands easily. In light
of this, and considering that this trend is observable over a sample drawn from a long time frame,
it is clear that any further work examining Bley's improvisations would need to consider the
process that gives rise to those performances, as well as the music produced by them.

54
Two other interesting examples of a ' conditioned response' are found in the sample under consideration. Bley
plays a 'standard' introduction to All The Things You Are in both the 1985 and 1993 recordings, and plays a brief,
presumably 'worked out' 4 bar tag at the end of Long Ago And Far Away (1963) and 1993. While these passages are
treated very loosely, it is unclear what they signify. While it is possible that they reflect a 'falling back into old
habits', they may also represent a 'parodic repetition' of a standard ideas. Such musical irony would be unsurprising
given the humour and intelligence ofBley's music.

43
Conclusion

After his exposure to Ornette Coleman, Paul Bley abandoned the dominant paradigm of
the time, which mandated that improvised lines sprang from the functional harmony of the tune.
Instead he looked to Coleman's example as a means of generating melodic material for his solos.
Generally, Bley's solos are characterized by a mixture of passages that observe the harmonic
framework of the tune, passages that are consistent only with their own harmonic and melodic
verities and passages of indeterminate tonality.
Several characteristics of Coleman's music are reproduced in these lines. Firstly, they
stray from the chord progression of the tune, although at times they relocate themselves within
those changes.
Second, the 'flow', evidenced by the way ideas throughout the solos follow on from one
another reflect the motivic chain association that Ekkehard Jost (1974) identified in Coleman's
music. More than a succession of phrases that may or may or not coincide with the chord
changes, Bley's solos are coherent musical statements by virtue of the sure way in which he
develops melodic ideas and motifs in a logical, ' story-telling' manner, and moves artfully from
one set of ideas to the next.
Third, Bley employed erasure phrases to ' cleanse the palette' between distinct musical
passages, as well as playing lines that suggested the non-equivalence of pitch classes in his
music.
Finally, by employing a more democratic conception with regard to the roles of the
instruments within the piano trio, an approach that mirrored Coleman's concept of ensemble jazz
performance, he freed the instruments from their defined responsibilities in the context of the trio .
By embracing a freer harmonic concept, harmony became a by-product of Bley's
improvised melodic lines (and not vice versa as was the case in many earlier jazz styles). Though
his lines retained essential elements of the jazz language, they were filtered through his
understanding of the advances made by Omette Coleman. As a consequence, familiar materials
appeared in unfamiliar contexts.
When consideration is given to the processual aspects of Bley's music, there is evidence
that the use of formulae and 'stock' motifs were a formative element in his improvising style, and
that motor memory may well have played a significant role alongside conscious decision making
in his performances.
Although there have been subtle changes in Bley's approach to improvising since his first
jazz recordings after working with Ornette Coleman, the essential elements of his style have been

44
present from that time. By building upon the ideas of Coleman, Bley pioneered a new approach to
jazz piano that still holds promise forty years after it was first advanced.

Bley has the wonderful ability to allow his music to move where it will. The effect is one
of total freshness, of music that has never been heard before and never will be heard again.
(Balleras, 1985)

45
Musical Examples: Transcriptions

Gunther Schuller has said that "notated musical examples are of course no substitute for
the music itself', and that in jazz music, "the written score is both impossible and - if scores
existed - irrelevant" (Schuller, 1968, p x). These comments (and the issues discussed in the
methodology section above) notwithstanding, for this study of Paul Bley's music transcriptions of
his improvised performances have been made. While transcriptions are an extremely useful tool
in studying the pitch material in jazz piano performances, they are of questionable value in
monitoring rhythms in the idiom. Traditional notation is too limited to reflect the complexity of
what is played in this genre (or any genre in which the performance, rather than the score, is
considered the final artefact) and at best we can produce a very rough sketch of the rhythms
employed by the improvising musicians. In places where the feel is markedly 'ahead of or
'behind the beat' a note appears above the stave to that effect. It is strongly recommended that
these transcriptions be studied along with the recordings that accompany the text. In addition to
the Bley performances in this coll ection, part of Omette Coleman's improvised solo has been
included to illustrate points made in the text. All care has been taken to ensure that the scores are
as accurate as possible. Generally the tonality of the passages has been marked beneath the stave,
but in places where Bley's lines are consonant with the chord changes tonality has not been
specified. In places where Bley plays notes from a tonality other than the changes, but a tonality
that is unsurprising in a jazz context (i.e. D super locrian against an Amin7 chord and the
subsequent D7 chord) this is usually noted in brackets.

Solos
Omette Coleman: Chronolgy (extract) 1959 47
Paul Bley: All The Things You Are 1963 48
All The Things You Are 1985 53
All The Things You Are 1993 57
Long Ago And Far Away 1963 65
Long Ago And Far Away 1985 68
Long Ago And Far Away 1993 73

46
Chronology
Omette Coleman solo: From 4 minutes 20 sec.

CA Contour J
t----------------------------------------------1 r----------- --------,
..--.....-....

'-
,--..

1i r r J 1~r 1
r----------------~---------,

This phrase elides


r---------~--------1 smoothly to the next

'-a~ f- J i J J J I J J
,_ _______1_________ _, ~---------J~-~~-~~ontour .___________I __________,

&J JP~ Is 2 ) jJ fJ I

~ This phrase is altered (through { MCA Contour-


r_________: __ ------- 1 inversion) to segue to the next r-- ------------------,

&J~r 1r i 1i J3 p , to i - 1- , p~f] 1~n , t-


L MCA Ptch (initial variation) -
r---------------------------, r------------ -----------------------------------------------,

,________________________________________:\_____________________________,
' * q\iJ, pI t ff I ffl 1 1 JJ 1izJ J N tH i 11
47
All The Things You Are: 1963

I Fmin7

&~ -
\...------------------------------------------------Chromatic---------------------------------------------------~

---------------------B b b Iues tonal ity-------------------------l ~ ----------- - ----E lydian---------

8 Cmin7 Fmin7
' r-31' r - h ,-3-, r-h E

------------C major ---------------------------__ J 1-------- E jazz minor----

-------- E jazz minor-----------J '------------------- Db major-----------------------1

[ MCA Contour
------------ -----------, r----------------------J-----------------------------------1
18 D7 G Flimin7

r-------------------------------------------------Erasure phrase ----------------------------------------------------------------


22 B7 E7 C7+
'

~ , ~m z crJ m + rn J JmJJJJJ JJJ JJ aw


~ r3~r3-, ~,-2-,,2-,
1
1 1
r-3-ir-3---i ,-a-,
11

48
-------------------------------1 :-------L------1 . ,. .__J_____ r ____ L__,

,,~ @1J@JJ, f j';m',dlPID:f J] I fil ~ n~. &JJ 1

---------------------Step Progression--------------

t~J &JqJ &JJP~EP J &JJ,J &J J fiJO [pJ I


-----------------------------------------------------------Step Progression----------------------------------------------------------

&~!f U~f UltJ Q 'r r f r I ,tipttt!f B U 11u1JJ fJ z ~ 11


1 1
i-------Gb dimin ished------~

37 [l] Fmin 7 B~min7 r ________ L_ _________, A~--------[__---~~~-~~ch

-@ f3 p1,J ]a I 1 ]!J JJJJ I#J -JJ J--JJ i I J JjJ J JiJ I


------------------Whole tone scale-----------------------
------------------Step Progression------------------------------------------------------

41 Db r-----1----------, Dmin7 57__[_ ___, CM;.~E?.~~our


r-- MCA Contour -
r-------------..,

&~ ,ttJ N J 1ttr + r e- 1 i' ~ m1


r ___ J____,
Cmin7 Fmin7 Bl>7 Eb
45

'~ CP u nI zJ]JiJ d [](T(J nJiJ 11M


1.----------A lydian augmented (like)---------------1
I pI f ffl u R I
3

r -----------------------------Ereasure qua 1it ies---------------------------


D7 G
~ r-;-3--, r-3-i r- 3 --, r-3--, r - 3 - i

I JlJ J]J Ji Etf It@ Ee #BP ~ I


i----------- C Blues----------~ l----------E major I lydian----------------

49
-----------------------------Erasure qua Ii ti es---------------------------------r
52 Amin7 D7 G
' r-3---, ,-3-,,3---, r-3---,,-3---, ~ r-3
I-
---~ ~----B major-------~ ~ ----------Bb major----------------------J -----B major---

-----A-----' ~---Ab--- i -1-----Gb-----1 l----Ab----..1 ~----Asus---.f i-----8---- '------A-----1

f------Ab-----4 ~-----Gb-----l (--F?--) l------E-----' ~---D---' ~---C---1

I
t-----------------------t
DP

MCA Pitch r ____ __l _______ __


66 DPmin7 Cmin7 Bdim 7 BPmin 7

'~ f J&J J J f I I Ji B 1R f I J J J &J I -

---------------------1 ;------------------------:
70 EP7 AP [l] Fmin7

'
~ 1 ~r-3=
j> ,Jg n r~ 11,fi n J lb!] 4JJ J:lr
~
1
=
~ fij
Fil
r-------------1__ ____________ MCA Pitch (initial variatio~~--------------J ___________ ,
1
74 BPmin7 EP7 AP DP

&~aj Iy D1[ r--r 1 #I] Iy J. I y p~[ F,_f I Ft I


l----------D major-------------

50
78 Dmin7 G7 C Cmin7

--------------------------------------------------------------- D major-------------------------------------------------------------

h#)J JJ J It JJttJJJ J l#J An Jq]j I JJJJ~JP n I


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------!

86 Amin? D7 G Amin 7

i------E major---------i L--------Eb-------..: ~--D+---t

r-------------------------------------------------Erasure phrase---------------------------------------------------------
00
'
~
, .-3---, re 3---, t G
,-- 1 s ~ I ,- 3-, ,-3' ,- 3---, ,-3---,
~z t@cfrrrs1t z1.l[~f r 'f [l'[jnqL#JiIJdtJI

--_-------------------------------------Erasure phrase-----------------------------------------1
93 F~min 7 B7 E7
' ,-3---, ~ ,-3-, ,-3---, ,-3-,,-3-, r-3-, ,-3---,

~tune m~J a1#tiiJ qJJnJqPJJJ g1#3 , 11J u1


q 1-------Whole tone scale-----

96 C7+ Fmin7 BPmin7 EP7

$~ 1 .fil J~J fJ , HJ zj iJ l&J t p J 1p1fil 1 t z p I


~----------------C major--------~
-------Whole tone - 1

r __________ j_________________________________ MCA Conto-~~----------_j_ _____ _


100 AP DP DPmin7 ' Cmin7 '

'~ J #J ~
~ -------Eb
n qJ
dim inished--------4
I z #r. nP nd I1t;J nJ J J I t J
~--------------------------Eb lydian-------------------------- i
DJ I

51
------------------------1
104 Bdim7 BDmin7 ED7

&~ f] J J J I~&d f 1q ~1 ~ f
* d
107 AD @] Fmin 7

&~ t ~1 J a g 1~1 w sg g II II

52
All The Things You Are: 1985

t-----------_[_ _________ 1
1
___________ [__ ____ ~~~ Pitch I ,:-~~!~~~--_1 ______ 1 ~-------[ _______;
Fm in 7 BPmin 7 EP7

' - 1
1
f@ 1111J] a J Ii E!PJ] a p;,ltJ 1 ~P 2 'D 1 PI

' 1~p e:r 1 Pa 1~u~JO 1 ;a I ftJ~g a fJ I fJnJJ ~EJJ


( G7 altered)

r-------- ---------, r------ ---------1


8 Cmin 7 Fmin7 Bf> 7

'J II -
*
r _________ j_ __________, r~~~-~~~~~-=~-~~our r--------------------;
12 ED AP Amin? D7 G

t---------------------------------------------------------- ----Melody------------------------------------------------
16 Amin 7 D7 G

'-
----------------------------------------Melody----------------------------------------1
21 f1imin1 B7 E7 C7+ Fmin 7

26 BPmin7 r- 3 - , EP7 ~ AP DD

' Pgp tJ2 IF ~E::H LI rktctpU ~IJ I1 1&t.JJ1JJ I


.._...
I

53
______J__ ______ MC~-~~~~l~-~~~~~ur r _______ _l__ ___
1 1
Bdirn7 Bbmin7
131 13-, r-3---,

J~lJ IM i i JJOl&M i i 7 13 ~ij I


-----------Db 7---------------- -----------------------------------------------Step Progression-------------------------------

----------T _________ _! ___________, MCA Contour '2"1 r----------L-----------i


34 Eb7 Ab i..=::.i Fmin7 b

MCA Contour-
r-----------1-------------------------~
38 ~min7 > Eb7 Ab Db

_,_. ,- t,f----+-[j---t.-
rl.- f-+--./---f'T-~ -+------+-1-7-z--+-IY:li;dW
-+-- t!r6E f I F E"Pu ~JJJ J ~ I
i _________________ _____ l ___________________, .-------------------Erasure-Iike qua I ities----------- 1
4~D~ 3 ____,
1
G C

Jd DJ J &J d J JJlbg J J J d JlbbJ: bj J


1 1
ttJ II
(G7 altered) ~--------------------------------C minor--------------------------------1

~-----------------_f ________________________ , l MCA Contour I Pitch


,------------ ------------------------------,
45 Cmin7 Fmin7 s b1
~ , -3----, , -3----, c- 3--;--, c- 3 -;--i

7 P tt1Ir 1trtrr 7 JI

r---------------------~~i-~~~~~i-~~}-----------------------1 r _________________ l_ ________ __


48 Eb Ab Amin? D7

' fJ ~JJ fJ 1J fJ 1J fJ JJ I1J ~IJ * 1 Pffl'Crl * 1 ptt?F tr EUJ I


------------------------------------------,
51 G Amin7

&trttr;[FEJ[[Ut 1- t zp11R~JJJJHJ1
(D7 altered)
54
r--------------1------------------r
l r-3-, 181

7
tr rrrr frrl
r ______________ J_ _______________ , ,..------------------- J------------t
MCA Pitch I Contour
r-------------------------1
1

57 f#min7 B7 . E7
-#- r-3--, 181 r-3--, 181

~r a J JhJJ JJJI J a &J JJPJJ JJJi&J


1------------- ---------------------------Ab major ------------------------

60 C7+ Fmin 7 Bli m~


1
EP7

p I 711,iJ gPE:f If f CJ~fil #tlJ Jufil Q fJ I


6
' j ap 1

____ ;_: :.---------------------------------------Ab who! e tone -------------------------------------

___________________________________;
i.----------Db dom inant----------J

71 AP DJ Fmin7

&j 1,f , , I n1~[ u ~r rr r; ~m n~J &JJ &J 11pJ


1

(passing b3rds)

G7 C

-
55
. . . . - - - - - MCA Contour- - - - .
,____________l___________, ___________]_________~
\ '
.____________l________.,
. '
80 Cmin7 Fmin7 Bb7 Eb

...__... ..__...
I
-------Uncertain tonality--------1

. - - - - - - -MCA Contour - - - - - - - . .
r---------------------------------------, r--------------J------------------------, r __________ l ________________
89 Amin 7

,~ -
'Cc FJ Er u Er CJ JJ ~n I JJ ~n Ji.3 J Ji,tlnJnJJJ JJ -
L __ ------------------------------------------- ch rom at ic -------------------------------------------------------------------------
I

91 ----G---------------1 r__________l________ , ,---~=~-~~~hm B7 ; _______ }__ _______ ,

13-,m . . ,3, 13-, ~

$ a~:J M J
::>
1

I- f#min7
______________________ l

L__3__J

-----------------------------------------------------------------Melody-----------------------------------------------------------
99 Eb7 Ab Db min 7

&s , i nJ 1J. n ruJ 2r11 "I r1


-----------------------------------------------------------------Melody----------------------------------------------------------l
103 Cmin7 Bdim7 Bbmin7 Eb7

$ r ~1 n JJJ. II
56
All The Things You Are: 1993

MCA Pitch I Cont~~-~--------------_[_ ___________________


1
Bbmin1 Eb7 Ab

f.------------------------------------------------------Chromatic---------------------------------------------------

s' D~
; ______________ ]_ _______________

' ,-a-, Dmll!'


,
G' C
Cmin 7
r-----------'--------
r-3 --,

--------------------Chromatic---------------------1 t--------------------

D7
lay back lay back

J fjd
--------------------------------------------------------Chromatic----------------------------------------------1

1 --------- --- --- - -- - ---- - ---- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- Melody ----------------------------------------


15 G Amin7 D7 G lay back
r-3--,
I* 1)1 fl 1

-------------------------------- Melody-----------------------;
,________________[__________ ___________________
21 ~min? B7 E7 C7+ Fm in7 Bbmin7
.----5- - . ,

' ,r: I] * f I ..~ t- I ~ * z r f ~f J 1


.LJ z I!
L------------------------------------------------

MCA Pitch I Repetition l


----------------, r--------------------------------- -------------------------------------1
26 b7 ob o bmin7 Cmin7
~- 5 --.,

&t,;J. ~n ------------------------------------------------------Chromatic---------------------------------------------------------

r ______________________ _l _________________~::::::::~:::--~, ,.-----L---, ___ J ____,


Bbmin1 Eb7 Ab
~- 5 -~

I
-----------------------------------Chromatic-----------------------------------1

57
MCA Contour ____( ____
7 1
AP

,______ l_ ____ l ,-------_[_ ___ ;


1
______ 1_____ ~CA Co:::~~__[_ ____ ,
42 Dmin7 G7 Cmin 7 lay back Fmin 7

&t fr 1 F "[:~ t f
l r----------------------- 11ir ft f L
Step Progression ----------------
fI
r _____ J _____ , r_______ l_ ______ t ~=1_=~1~tourr _______ L_ ___1 r-------~--? ;---D\----: G
47 BP7 EP layback AP bt bf E ,-.._ .
' f f f f IC pE1 f IF f t f If t E1 &.I U:fl
----------------------------------------------- Step Progression -------------------------------------------'

MCA Pitch -,initial


r______________________ J ____________________________________________ variation - -

52 Amin 7 D7 G
r - 3-;--, r - 3 ----:1

rr 'Lf1

r f J If fJ I J ~ J
'
II I

r---------------------------------------------------------------------------1
57 F#min7 B7 E7 C7+
' , -3----, , - - 3-----,
I- j J ]II
r ___ _1 _______ 1 i-----~E~-=~~~our r______[_ ______ I

61 Fmin7 EP7 AP

~---~-B b+-----1 \.-----Ab+-----i l -------B b+---- --- ~ ~- ----Dbmin-----4 ------Bb------

r _______ _[ _________, _______ _l _______~CA Co~:~~~----_) _________


1 1
66 DPmin7 Cmin7 Bdim7

-.._.....
l-------Ab+--------1. J------B+------~ ~-------- D+--------.1 ~------Dbmin------J ~-------

58
@' ttf ' :h \:Jl>J IJ \) p ' 1,Jl I z ,,P ttf z ~p z ;II J 1J fJ fJ I
------B+------l L--------Ab---------~ L-----C+- ----~ L------D+-------' J-----E+---------1 ------F +---

________ _) __________ , t ______ J_ _______ l


I '
74 BDffiin7 ED7

;.-------E +------4 i- ----- Eb+------' l -----D+-----~ ---Db+---'- ~-----------Fm in-----------l

78 Dmin7 01 c
l

7 1,Jl 7 j
l

J f] lflJ
' 0
3
~-----------------------------

ED
C Blues ----------

I- f 7 pI
------------------------ C Blues -------------------J L-----------Chromatic ---------L

l------------------------------------------------------Chromatic---------------------------------------------------------------1

88 Amin7 01 G

( D7 altered ) ~----------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------C diminished --------------------------------------------------!


59
MCA Contour-
r---------------L-----------------------------------1
95 E7 C7+ Fmin7 Bbmin?

' &J1R@ Ultt91fJ R. ] l~r ,fF ~F ttQ+J R ff[,1


L ___ --------------------A major----------------------------__ J

r __________________________ J ___________________,
99 EP7 AP ,-:-3--, ob L L DPmin7

~ ~ 1 l'F qf I1 ttp 1 ~iD i.g~ ~ t 1~~~


-* F;~ ~CJ
9
3
M i,E
'
_) 1 ;) f f Jl JS
,- -, >
E!f I
J.. ______________ Db 7--------------------(b Iues )-------------------..!

103 Cmin 7 Bdim7 ,- 3--, BPrnin 7 .----- 3 -..


3
,-3--, '~
1zB~rr ff [FbF t!tJ 1~@ttffld E J J l&J t== F~@1
' ,-i:-3;-i r= --,

L------chromati c------..; L--------------C BI ues------------------1

106 b7 AP

&r ~hJJ~teee;'f Ii dp~O J 1m&J JJi.J@J11

109 @] Fmin7 BPmin? b7 AP ob

' * 'ti.Ji J j l&J 4 J I- r"fl J@ I J ~J. ~p1Jit.J

r--------r- ____--...__l_-
___-__ - - - - - M C A Contour - - - , - ____-_-
1 1
11 4 Dmin7 G7 C Cmin 7 Fmin 7

& I* z lg U IBB r 11~2 * - I- fJi,f] I


,--------L---,
119 Bb7 rush P7 AP Amin? D7

&ttiJ O fjJ R Ii~ d J.


(Bb7b9)
tl~J J Ji.J JJ 1z d j]1.<;1.R I
(07 altered)

60
7 r __________ _[_ __________ T
123 G Amin
'
1.J] <~ 11JihA I hJ J J J J J HJ 11"8
~
@ ,-3-, ,-300 ~-
FF ~I
i------------------------------------------------ --------C dim in ished--------------------------------------------------------------------

126 bi _____)_ ____ ~-~~.cont~~-~!-~!r--------, ~--------------]________ ; F~min7


' r - 3 = r.-3-:i r.::3-i r.-3-:i ,-3-,,3--, r3--, ,-3-,,3---,
f]J c) J J1J;JJ Id J J~J JdJ l[lJ Jd#J. 01 I - ~J JdJ]] I
----( )----------------------------------------------------C diminished------------------------------------------------------

r---------------------------------------
130 B7 E7 C7+ Fmin7

$J,.QJ J J l_j1pJ J ]#J I; ,


--------------------C diminished-:-------------------' p 'P
-------------------------------------------------------Erasure qua! ities--------------------------------------------------- ---1
134 Bbmin 7 b7 Ab

$t ~ o Ur ti 1lr d ct u L------------------C major----------------------~


1t r en r 1r , l>D 1
L-------------C diminished------------)

-------------------------------------------------------Erasure qua Iities-------------------------------------------------------


137 Db Dbmin7 Cmin7 3
D b ------,

-----------------------------------Erasure qual ities-------------------------------------- --1

$
140 Bdim 7
.-3-, 1W YID .-3-,
Bbmin7
~ID i3
Eb7

'--------------------Chromatic----------------1 L----------- B dim in ished---------i

._, & q
( Eb7b9)

61
MCA Pitch (initial variation) l
----------------------, r---------------------------------------- --------------------,
147 EP7

&Pr 1.J Pf *
~lay back AP

I * .r 31,J
DP

rr 1
Dmin7

11.J
~----------- - - -------------------------Ab
Dp "/l,J
G7

i I ,
C

1.J Di, f
major--------------------------------___ .J,

152

'
156 ----------------,
L_--------------------- ----------------------Ab Iydi an --------------------------------------------

&::n~~p
------------------------Ab lydian------------------------J L-----------------------C diminished -----------------------------./

r______ _[_ ______ i r ______ _j_ ____ ___

159 G Amin 7 D7 G

&Jfflfil11- 11 f ~t' 1: 1
1"r ~~i, , fiJ Dr r , ti1 1

'--------G blues--------) ~ ------G minor-----' L---------------G b maj or-------------------------------

r------1~~~ Contour I Rhythm r ______ j__ ____ r ___ J _______


_________
1
_______ ]__ ______
1 1 1 1 1
164

&, ;f r tti ltti i


-----------------'
f #min 7

filJ, f 1d, Q ,
L---------------Gb jazz minor------------------------J
B7

wQ , J:
-----E major----J.
E7

1------Eb major-----~

L------------D major------------J l..----------C diminished---------..' 1---------------------Chromatic-------------4

172 DP

&JR::fflN,B Jd I JS JJ
62
~ ----------------Chromatic------- ------~

r-------J_-------------r
178 Ab @] p1
mm ~ .--.

--- ___-___-___-
r----------_-(___- -i - - - ~__[-
,. __-____ _____~-~~-~ontour I R h y t h m - - -- -F------------------
--
182 Bbmin7 . ~ ...--... . El>7 Ab b >- ~ DP

,-v ~c [ 2I[ r It # r; 'I vI t1f


__} ________ ,

'I
186 Dmin7 Cmin 7

F 7 "f I E 1'"~Q
r ,. EI J

190 Fmin7 Bb7 Eb AP 3

' tkt Pr EJTt uucn 1~r 1ffld JJ i]WJE1


3

7
1
~---------------C diminished--------

r------
194 Amin7 D7 G
' r-3= ,-3-,t:'\ ,-3-, E.l ~
JiliJ W EU a1 I0 0 ~:o J 13 IJ J J ~
'-- 3 =-.J
z ~I
----------------C diminished-----------------: +--------------------------G blues----------------------J

____________ j_ __________l l
,----------- ----------,
MCA Pitch I Contour ,____________]___________
197 Amin7 D7 G

~------------------------- ----------------------F major----------------------------------------.J t----Gb major--------

63
-------------1 r-------------------------------1 ,------
201 F#min7 B7 E7 C7+

' tJ: ntfEJ I f B t n;P$ l f] * 1 aJ J ., bJ''~~ II


____ .,' ,
---------------- G maJor------------------..
. I '
~-----------------------------
Ab maJor----------------------1
. .

..--------MCAContour-~-------
-----------------------------------------------------1 r--------------------------------------L-------------------------------1
20s Fmin7 BPmin 7 EP7 AP

' ''~U i ., ],J 1 I111'f' q,fr J I J ., 1,f-i n11f ., ~; InP ., 1., 1., qf I
_______________________________________________ _]______________________________________________ ,
1
209 DPmin 7 Cmin7

' ,,, t 1

Bdim7
212 BPmin7

q
et cetera

#~ f ~
~~ ~
1 I1 1

'
1
&J F1 11

64
Long Ago And Far Away: 1963

~------------[__-------; ;--------~=~J!~~~-~~~~~~~~-~;ariation) r-------------]_ ___________ 1


F Gmi7 C" F Gmi 7 C"

&~1 JJ fj JJJ l&3J 1J J fil Id t 1,JJ1JJ 14J~g Efl I


!--------------------------------------- B major-----------------------------------------

t---------------
s ITJ F Gmi 7 F Gmi 7 C7

1- 7p[jl). ______________ _
---------------------B major-----------------------~

----------~_[_------------------~CA Pitch (initialr~-~~~~~~~~}_______________ _l ____________________ T


9 F 1 3~ Gmi7 C" F Gmi 7

----------F dim inished------------l 1---------------------F jazz minor--------------------~

13 AD Fmi7 BDmi7 ED7 AD G7

'~ ~RJ J f &fJ I 't ) mf jJ id n jJ 't :h I 't &Jd ~J ttJ J I


;L------C diminished-----

17 cma7 Ami 7 D7
, - 3 - - , .-3==i
Gmi 7
m c1

II
~--------8 diminished-------l ~---------------Chromatic--------------------~

_______ _] _______ r-------~:~_;itch


1
I Gmi 7 C" F
,--3--, 131 131

65
.________________
_________________ j_ ----M , C A Pitch r------------J_______________
29 Cmi7 p ' Bhma7 Bhmi7 Eh7

&~ j !] - I '! ) t1 "r F fi I f ,:Po-r * I '! ~p 0 F,fJ I

( MCA Pitch (tenninal variation)=:l


-;---------------- -----------------. ;------------------------ --------1
33 Ami? Ahdim 7 Gmi7 c1 F

'~ J J J J IJ * J z qJi I&fJ. j J J JqJ I s ~ J@ J II


f---------8 maJor--------------1

.--------MCA Contour - -
[l] F G 1 C7 ;----------------\;---------------) r----------------------
37 lay back ml
Gmi7 C7

&~ [j F F n l!r n~n J I H J J J u fl B I


_____________ l_ ________________ i r ________________________ _] ____________ ____________ ,

'h
41 F

Dx pr
Gmi7 C7

B I * * H ftcB JJ JJ J I pD ttf 'F


F D7 Gmi 7 C7
1

----------Ab--------
I
. - - - - - - - - M C A Contour------.
45 r~b ___________ J ___________~bmi7 EP7 APr---------1----------~ rci1_l __________;

&H d If - * Iz pi,J f L v I [j f f
---( 07)---
a I

'H
49 cma7

r-----------------Me Iody--------------------------1
53 F Gmi7 C7 F Gmi7 C7 ~ F

&h ;t cJJ J r (= liJJ * 1- Er f lid f 1J r


66
r---------------------
58 Gmi 7 C7 F Gmi 7 C7 Cmi7

'~ n a 3 , wJ a J J n a
1 w 1 ~--ft~_ _ _f::LL~-----~-'.I:_
Melody
t

66 Gmi7 C7 F C7 F

'~ z p B ~[j f I t fil D J J I fJ J J J II#' 1

67
Long Ago And Far Away: 1985

,------------------------------------------------------Melody------------------------------------------------------------------
F Gmin? C7 F Gmin7 C7 F

-------------------------------------------------------Melody------------------------------------------------------------------
6 Gmin7 C7 F Gm in7 C7 AP BP min 7 E'17

' J. ._.,
\Jl I f.I fJ J j
-._..,
IJ J j ~ 11,~~J. &J Ij nu 0 I

-------------------------------------------------------Melody------------------------------------------------------------------
11 AP G7 C Amin?

-------------------------------------------------------Melody------------------------------------------------------------------
15 Gmin7 C7 F Gmin 7 C7

'p)Jg s vb
IJ ,J,J n~r J j IJ f]~ RJ
._..,

-------------------------------------------------------Melody------------------------------------------------------------------
19 F C7 F Gmin7 F

8vb----------------1

-------------------------------------------------------Melody------------------------------------------------------------------
24 Gmin 7 C7 Cmin 7 F7 BP BPmin 7 EP7

&@,2fJ, i'lz D1 L ll 1'~~F gr= It" ~D, f, 11

----------------------------------Melody--------------------------------------------1 r-------------------l------------------
29 F APdim7 Gmin7 C7 F rn F

&mt_J) d 1 , m, f 1 n1 1 J ,r D 11 r en r 1

68
______________ .., J MCA Pitch

34 Gmin7 C7
.. -------------------------------------------------
F Gmin7 c1
..
F Gmin7 F
r-3~

ttbl~r:
,.--...

@f r- I- [J[Jlfrff F IF'
- - - - - - - - - - r - - - M CA Pitch -----r-----
,------------------------J_--------------------------1 .------------------------------------------------r
40 c1 AP BPmin1 EP7 AP Q7

' 111,J fflJ J id fM&J u 11,J ftJ J 11J J J ~ I


, ___________ _L _________ _
45 c Amin7 Gmin7 C7 F

J J J J I- 7 J ~ 10 111 rr D r
'
I0 7

- - - - - - - MCA Pitch~---------
-,
-- - ------- ------- ---------- -- r------------------------------------------------1
50 Gmin7 C7 ,....--... F Gmin7 C7 F Gmin 7 C7

. '..._...-

(Repetition) J
;-------------------------_j_ _______ --------------------, r- --------------------------- ---------------------------;
55 F Gmin7 C7 Cmin 7 F7

@J n , ;i, w 3 J J 11~r n , tf3 1, r ~r J 1

r---------------------1-----------------------------1 r-------------------------_l-------------------------1
59 BP BPmin7 EP 7 F AP dim7 Gmin7 C7

&~r R , Ml 1, r ~r J 1~r ft~J3 1, r ~r ~


- - MCA Pitch (initial variation)-
[I] ;----------------------------------------------------,
63 F (8;!__ ,_ ~f1 f,_ F Qmin7 c1 F

@dfr=l. p1,EJtJ:tr II* J J @Id J f J I


69
r------------------------------------------------------------..,
68Gmin 7 F Gmin 7 CJ F Gmin 7 CJ

1f2-Qf&J lf&J f fil1 2 ~}~ J I- uffil


L--------------------- Uncertain tonal i ty-----------------------------J .J----(Ab)----~

73 AP BPmin 7 EP7

&~u t'+ r ~r r ~r 1

L----------------( Ab )---------------1

________ j_ _________________ 1MCA Cont~~~------------------------------- 1 r-----------------


77 C Amin 7 Gmin 7

I- 7 )f#]jl
~-----M C A Pitch / Rep e t i t i o n - - - - - - -
___________________ J_ _________________________ ., c--------------------------J-------------------------------1
81 F Gmin 7 . Jay back CJ ' F Gmin 7 CJ

& J Fl J J]~I f}ffr Fl I J J] JlJfJ I J J~F fl I


~ '-' ~--- t:j ~~ --- ~ t=i ~---
------------------D major----------------------------- L----------

___________[ _______________________ , r------------------------1----------------------1


85 F Gmin 7 C7 F Gmin7 CJ

fJ ?;JJZfJJ) LJl raw


-------------------D maj or----------------------J
JJJYtJJJ,ft---tfL n I

89 Cmin7 F7

L---------------(C7 b9 )------------------_;

@J r----:F________ J___ __
94 Gmin 7 CJ F

(C7b9)
II~ #f I

70
MCA Repetition
---------------- ... \------------------l -----------------, ,-----------------------------------1 !' ..................................... ..

98 Gmin 7 C7 F Gmin 7 C7 F Gmin7 C7 F

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(G7b9)

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1
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71
r--------------------------------------------------Erasure phrase---------------------------------------------------------------

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127 F

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L----------------------- F major---------------------------~
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L---------------
I

133 F Gmin7 C7 F .
> >

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7 7 J
7
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136 imin7 C7 AP BDmin 7 EP7

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139 AD G7 c

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142 Amin 7 Gmin7

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72
Long Ago And Far Away: 1993

[[] r-----------------------------------------1------------------------------------------~-----------1 ,-----------------------


7 7
' F Gmin C' F r"-i Grmn C' F

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6 Gmin7 C7 F Gmin 7 C} Ab h .gh
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is Gmin7 C7 F Gmin7 C7 F

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20 -~~~-----c;-------- 1 r------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------,
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28 Bbmin 7 Eb7 F Abdim 7 Gmin7 C} F

73
32 ~ F Gmin 7 C7 F

>- .._, ~-------------------U:ertain tonality---------------

r------------------------- Erasure effect-------------------------- -r

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36 Gmin7 C7 F Gmin 7 C7 F

-
------------------------------------------------------Un certain tonality---------------------------------------------------------~

40 Gmin 7 C7 AD BDmin1 ED7

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1

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43 AD G7 C

L _____ -- ---- ------ ----------- ---- --- -G diminished------------------------------~ L----------------F b1ues---------------

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46 Amin7 Gmin 7
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74
r-----------__[---~=~-=~~~~-~; r-------------_J_________________
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58

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L. ----------- ------- --------. ---------------- ------ F 8 Iues------- -- ------- ------- - -------------------------------

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73 AP Bbmin? EP7 AP G7 b
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75
MCA Pitch 1
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Cl F

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1--------------------L----------------1
88 Gmin7 Cl Cm in 7

92 BPmin7 P7 F APdim7 Gmin7 C7

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L----------G dim in ished-------------.1 ~---------------- F major--------------- ~ -------------Gb maj or-------------J

95 F 131131 [I] F Gmin 7 C7

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99 F
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103 F Gmin7 0 AP

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76
110 Amin7 C3

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t 17 F Gmin7 C7 F Gmin 7

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121 Cmin7 F7 Bb BDmin 7 ED7

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[IJ ----------------------------------, r-----------------------------L---------------------------------1 r-------------
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133 F Gmin7 C3 F Gmin7 C3

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~----------------F blues gesture but uncertain tonality--------------

77
_________________________________________ J
t-----------F blues-------------.! l----------B I B l ydian -------------~

141 C Amin? Gmin7

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10
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148 Gmin7 c1 F Gmin 7 0 F

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152 C7 Cmin7 p1
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158 Gmin7 C7
r-3---, r-3---,r-3---,
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r-3-,,-3-, ,-3-,r=3---,,-3-, r-3---i

78
--------------, r-----------------------------,
161 F Gmin7 CJ F Qmin7 CJ

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169 bAb Bbmin7 b b7 Ab

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-----------------______ J_ __ ----------
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1
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179 F Gmin7 CJ F Qmin7 CJ

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11
(C7b9)
'I 1" oa 1

Motif from measures 128 - 133

79
r------------------------------------------Erasure phrase-------------------------------------
187 BP BP~in7 EP7 F APdirn7

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t--------Bb jazz minor--------~ l -----A lydian augmented-----HChromatic~ ~-----------E major------------1 I-Chromatic;

---------------------------------------------------------Erasure phrase---------------------------------------------------------------
190 Gmin7 C7 F
' r-3-, r::3-,,-3-, r-3-ir-3-, r-3-, ,-3-, ,-3-, r-3-,,-3-,,-3-,

iJJ &Wo JJJ 00 Iru EfJ t@ aWqJ IJJ#JP M] Wr I


1-----------------G jazz minor----------------1 i------A major---------i ~----Chromatic-----1 f-------D major---------

-------------------------------------D major--------------------------------------~ 1------------B major-----------

---------------------------------------------------------Erasure phrase---------------------------------------------------------------
196 Gmin7 C7 F 3 Gmin 7 C7

' - 1 ~fJE ffl Ifu~@ ~ffl ffl l1itLJ jJ J~J ~@ E I


i----G jazz minor----~ 4----A minor------! l--------------G jazz minor--------------1 ~----Eb jazz minor----!

199
'
F
w
---------------------------------------------------------Erasure phrase---------------------------------------------------------------

nrvopm JJ~J J1 cu JJ ~n J1 JJgJJJ nj .031


r:::3-ir3=
Gmin7
~ r-3-,
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L ______ E major------~ 1----------------G m inor-----------------J 1----------------- Uncertain tonality-------------------

;~;-~f.~~-------Erasur~~~ase---------------;,-;--i
G7 c
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&
2M AmID ,-3~
7

1
J f 'f 1f gitj , ~
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1 *
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80
&,, 1,J ~u u1* D[ r mn 1~m B~m \;1 n
210 Gmin7 C7 F Gmin7 C7 F
1
w ~#~ ~~ 1
L------F minor-----------------' L-----E major--------J L--------C7 altered----------1

214 Gmin7 C7 F Gmin7 c1 Cmin1

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L-------C diminished--------------J \.-------E major--------J -'-----F minor-----.l
, 1,~ 1

r______ J__ __ , ~=~~-~~ourr _____I_ ___ "' r ____ J_ _____ ,


218 F7 BP Bi>min 1..-.. EP7

&r1 rtts ~a 10 ~u ~a cI 1cEE11 EfUr .m 1


1
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-------------B b minor--------------
1

r------------------------ ---------------------------Erasure phrase----------------------------------------------------1


221
'
F
,-3--, 'W ,- - - ,
APdim 7 3 Gmin 7 c1
r-3---, ,-3--, r.::3---, ~ ,--3-,
F

L---C diminished----J L----------------Chromatic-------------------J LDb lydian augmentedJ

[[] r_____________ _[_ ____________ 1


224 F Gmin 7 C7 F

' t n~n 1J lltr: u 'U El ljU z 'D 7 D 1'[jd] [j J] I


1

L---------------C minor I F dominant----------------..l


1

L--------C blues----------J
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L--------F minor-----------J

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r--------------1-------------, r_____________ J______________ l r----------------------------1
228 Gmin 7 C7 F Gmin1 C7 F

L---F minor---l lf# diminishedH----------------C minor--------------------1 , L---E Jydian-----J J-Ab major---

232 Gmin7 c1

--Ab major-l l----G major----l ~-------------------------------A major----------------------------------------'

81
10

1--------------Bb jazz minor---------------i i------------G diminished-------------4 L ------------A major-----------------

238 Amin 7 # ~ q. )lGmin7


.,..
't r "'E t f t f
-------------------------A maJ or--------------------------1
I-f f r j
E 'r E2r
240 C7 F

Ji II
>
~ -------------------- F b I ues--------------------------_.

82
Appendix 1: Interviews with Paul Bley

The following transcriptions are part of a series of interviews conducted with Paul Bley between
January and May 2001. The full transcriptions run to nearly 30 000 words from 6 hours of
discussions. In the interests of brevity, only extracts germane to the recordings examined in this
paper are included, along with Bley' s comments regarding 'the desires of the hand'. Bley listened
to the recording of each performance (bolded) before responding to the questions.

Paul Bley With Garv Peacock: Long Ago And Far Away [1963]

Terrible piano, huh? I did this recording myself, and sold it to Manfred Eicher of ECM for one of
his early records. But in fact this was just done at a recording studio in New York, and it had
none of the finesse of Manfred's productions. So even though it's an ECM record, don't hold that
against Manfred.
Do you like the performance?
I love the performance. I've liked everything I've made after 1960. I hate everything I made pre-
1960. So there was that margin, which fell at the point of the final performances with Omette.
There are a variety of techniques in here. I don't play melodies anymore, so you would be hard
pressed to tell the name of this song ifl were to play it now, even if I didn't change the solo. In
terms of analysis, you are dealing with an AABA song form, eight bars each. So there are three
similar curves, and the curve of the bridge, which is unlike the other three. You are playing
basically in F for three of the sections, and how the particular song was written originally to go
around the key of F, its journey through and around the tonic of F was particular to that
composer, but there is no end of ways to go around it. When you are playing a piece of music in
jazz there is no need to play the same set of chord changes for the second A as you did for the
first A. Its good to re-invent the way you get around the piece, although keeping true to the
original form, which is the tonic, F in this case, and the four eight bar sections. You wouldn 't
want to play those sections the same way all the time. When somebody re-harmonizes a tune, like
Bill Evans for example, unfortunately, having done that, he was stuck with that re-harmonization
forever. The aesthetic of the improviser is to compose a new way to get around the changes for
the first part, then find another way for the second part and so on. So it's good to attack the form,
and give the player more and more license. Another question that a performance poses is 'how

83
are your eighth notes'. A criticism of jazz players is that they use series of eighth notes called
' bebop' that go on forever. Well, there are a lot of ways to group notes rhythmically other than an
open set of eighth notes. You could play a bunch of fast notes squeezed together and then a long
silence, then one long note. Variety is essential. The human being stays awake if you keep
throwing surprises at it. The moment you are predictable, that's the moment they tune out, so a
player must always examine what they do in terms of predictability. If you play fast, you need to
play slow, if you play things squeezed together you need to play some things widely spaced. If
you are going to play long notes that don't change pitch, you will want something that changes
pitch quickly. If the intervallic relationships you use are close by each other, within an octave or
two, then you will want to make them wider. You need to always ask yourself, "What am I not
doing while I am doing this? What hasn't happened while I have been doing this?" The next
question is, "When will I get to what it is that I am not doing." Infinite variety keeps the listener
off-guard. They will stay engaged. If you keep changing the listener will stay with you as long as
you want. But the moment you play the second piece again, as the sixth piece say, they have to
decide if the baby-sitter needs attention, or parking meter, and so forth, because the concert is
over as far as they are concerned: they 've heard that piece, just under a different name with a
slightly different melody earlier. That applies to performing, and even greater innovation is
required when you make a record. You have to make a record that is not already recorded in the
history of music. So while you are playing you have to be thinking, "Has this been recorded
previously?" or even worse, "Did I play this before?" All this while you are being inspired and
not using your brain!
On this recording you were working with Gary Peacock and Paul Motian, and ofparticular note
is the amount of listening occurring between the musicians, and the very democratic nature of the
performance. Do you lead one another, or were you taking 'leadership ' during the piano solo?
How does it work?
We attack each other. We attack the premise of how we individually would normally proceed.
For instance, I attack the idea of drum solos . When you study the drums you learn all this
garbage, paradiddles and what have you, all of these things that are not musical that happen to be
drum technique. They are useful in wartime, but when you are a drummer in this trio then you are
playing with ideas all around you, and it becomes incumbent upon you to play ideas. Beethoven's
fifth started with an idea. It was only two notes, but the idea was vivid enough to span the ages.
Music is just like speaking. There is language and there are ideas. If we talked for a long time and
I didn't get anything and you didn't get anything then we were just talking language. If you came

84
away with even one idea that was useful to you then the exchange was about ideas. Between
ideas it's good to leave silence: that's the frame to the photo. So we attack each other in terms of
ideas. If someone is going to interrupt another player to play something, it better be as good an
idea as the one they interrupted. The whole idea of playing a solo, which is fun in itself, is a
question of, "who has the most to say at the moment." It's not because it's a point in the piece
where it' s 'solo time'. That implies that that part of the music is the most important part for that
player, and the other parts are not as important. Guiffre destroyed those boundaries: in pure
counterpoint everyone is equal. An analogy is six people sitting down to have dinner. Two of
them are younger and are a little intimidated by the flow of the conversation of their elders. In
good counterpoint, if the younger people did not contribute equally to the flow of the
conversation, the elders would cease speaking until they did. It is not the fault of the people who
don't participate in the counterpoint, it's the fault of the people who are not giving them room to
enter. In music, the audience is imperative in this situation, because the audience judges the
performance by its worst piece, and judges the ensemble by its worst player. So if you are up
there being brilliant, and somebody on your stage is not being brilliant its your fault, because the
audience judges your performance by the worst performance on the stage. They don't give you
the benefit of any doubt. So on the stage, the priority is making the weakest player stronger.
During this version of 'Long Ago And Far Away ' you made a number of references to the melody
during your solo. Could you comment on that?
At that time, and this is one of the very earliest ECM recordings, we did play melodies. My
feeling these days is that if you can tell what song we are playing, we are not doing our job
properly, even if you are a pianist sitting beside my left hand and are listening to a piece you have
played for years. If at the end of the performance you say, "What was that piece?" then we have
succeeded in really re-working the piece. I don't want to play every section as it was written: I
are trying to change as much as possible. It's re-composition, essentially.
I gave up playing popular songs when I got to free jazz, and used to confine my concerts to just
free music. One day I got a report from my agent saying, "you know, they flew you all the way to
Vienna and you only played thirty minutes." I said, "I hadn't realized it was only thirty minutes,
but the band before me had played ninety minutes when they were only supposed to play sixty, so
I just filled in the extra thirty". That didn't sit well with everybody, flying me across the ocean for
thirty minutes. So the next night I was playing in a club in Europe and I decided to have a crack
at bringing back some of the material I used to play, some songs, as I used to know just about
every song that was ever written. You see the only thing you have to remember about popular

85
songs was how they differed from each other. So I had a giant repertoire to draw from, especially
if I wasn't going to play the melodies, and the report the next day was that Bley had played a two
and one half hour set, instead of the thirty minutes he played a couple of nights before. I realized
that I could bring this repertoire back and play these songs and extend the repertoire for
performance. I could play one free piece, one standard, one free, one standard, and so on. They
enhanced each other because they were two different disciplines . The listener doesn't care what
discipline or technique you are using, that's not really a concern for them. Their only concern is
whether they are engaged. So putting standards back into the repertoire was an interesting
solution.
My Standard: Long Ago And Far Away [1985]
In this performance there were about sixteen bars of recognizable melody before you moved
elsewhere.
Well, we played through the chords of the song. We paid dutiful respect to the shape of the song,
in that we may have suspended things over the shape, but they would always resolve back to the
shape of that song. If you hummed the melody of the song over the entire performance you would
be at the right point of the song at all times. That's the bottom line: we didn't just get into free
improvising after playing the melody of the song. That is a technique that you can use, and Prince
Lasha, a peer of Ornette' s in the 1950s, called that 'melodic improvising ', where he would just
play a few bars of a written melody, and then break into a long free section before returning to
next few bars of the melody, picking up from where he left off. There might be twelve minutes
between fragments of melody! That never appealed to me but it was certainly another approach to
the deconstruction of the music.
On the Steeplechase label you have often recorded standard tunes, and you seem to always be
faithful to the structure of those tunes, thirty-two bars or what have you.
For the sake of the bassist, who may want to play that song, since I called it in the first place.
There are a number of recognizable 'jazz' techniques on this recording: chord spelling,
arpeggios, and enclosure phrases. There are also passages where you superimposed new
tonalities over the existing changes, but that were very diatonic, modal and in Db, for example.
There were also blues phrases and passages that seemed to have no fixed tonality and unsettled
rhythms.
There are certain skills that I was able to bring to the playing of standards after having worked
with Ornette. Don Cherry, as a virtuoso trumpet player, had the ability to play faster than the time
and slower than the time. Before that there were people who always played slower than the

86
tempo, or right on the tempo or faster than the tempo, but almost nobody before Don could do
any of the three at any time they wanted to. So to be able to play ahead of the piece and then wait,
or play way behind the piece and then catch up, this elasticity really spells out most of what I do
rhythmically. It is a skill that I developed, though with some effort. In the past rhythmic playing
was very straightforward. At the time of Django Rheinhardt rhythm sections played exactly on
the beat, so the guitar players played the time, almost the way you would write it. It was on the
beat and bass players would play on the beat. In swing music, a little later, the bass player would
play behind the time: that was an innovation at that time. Later still, the idea was to play ahead of
the time: bebop was always ahead, the snare drum and 'kicks' of the left hand were always
goading the music forward. So there were periods that emphasized the various ways of
conceptually thinking of time. The idea of deciding before you played a phrase whether you
wanted this phrase to be faster than, slower than, or right at the speed of the piece was a
wonderful and liberating thing to add to what it was that you were doing. This is just a rhythmic
consideration: it's not harmonic. There was still a lot to do with standards if you could bring these
disciplines into play. The work with Rollins was wonderful in this way because Rollins could
really chew up a standard, to the point where Coleman Hawkins couldn't tell what to do, even on
a tune he had recorded twelve times twenty-five years earlier! He had to turn to me, and say,
"Paul, please help me out. When it's my turn to play will you please nod me in. I can't tell when
the chorus' are over." When Coleman Hawkins can't tell when the chorus is over there is really
something going on! Rollins only did that at key times. Talk about holding back. He held back
with me for eleven months after the initial audition at Birdland. He played badly for eleven
months until the next record date, when I expected him to play equally badly, and that was the
next note of real music he played after his performance when he enticed me into the band. He
saved it up for a whole year and then on the record date played better than he had ever played
before, or since actually. It completely mystified Coleman Hawkins, but I was ready for him. I
had worked on a few inter-personal techniques, and so I knew when the record date really was,
and I wasn't preparing for a cancelled record date. He cancelled the date four times in a row to
throw everybody off their' best performance. In those days the bandleader was the enemy. 'Co-
operative' was not in the lexicon.
Did that make for better music?
I think so. Competitiveness really works well because they're throwing the kitchen sink at you
and you're throwing the kitchen sink at them, and 'may the best man win.' It's just wonderful.
It's cutting edge and you are really awake when it's like that.

87
Sonny Meets Hawk: All The Things You Are [1963)

Coleman Hawkins was wonderful. He got going for a couple of choruses. He was always
interested in newer players and encouraged all the newer players in New York even though he
was the top dog. It was very generous of him. The thing that strikes me is the freshness of the
idea of elongation. The mystery, in my playing, was how I always came back to the right place in
the tune . The phrases prior to that return were so stretched out that 'only his Doctor knew for
sure'. Then I would hit the right chord right on the beat where it belonged, and you'd think,
"Well, how did he get back to that point?" The idea was stretching that 'rubber band' so far that
even though you were following the changes and at the same time following a parallel universe
[of the improvised line], they were so closely related that I could skip from one to the other at any
given second and do it with authority. It was that elasticity that astounded the New York players
when this was recorded. Prior to that time, that elasticity was considered a conceit of sorts, but on
the stage of these accepted masters, it became clear that they were also using these techniques, it
just hadn't been done by pianists because usually when a pianist takes a solo in a band that
includes a saxophonist or a trumpet player, its time to go outside and have a smoke because
nothing is going to happen of interest. You could say the same of bassists prior to this time, with
a few notable exceptions. The rule of thumb was, this is the time to leave the premises, and come
back when the real action happened. That was something I never agreed with personally!
[laughter] Piano and bass solos weren't considered that ambitious. So that was fun, hearing the
elasticity work so well. Of course, I didn't play the song at all. Not only was I 'elastically' away
from the song, I never really bounced back, and when I did for a moment, it would be startling.
"Oh! He knew where he was!" I always knew where I was, that's what gives that kind of
elasticity meaning. You are pulling [from] a center that exists, although it's not always
recognizable in the elasticity of the moment. So not only can the lines be faster or slower than the
tempo, they can be drawn so that they are neither faster nor slower than the tempo. It just exists
above and over an existing harmonic discipline which can be very severe and very strict.
There is a harmonic elasticity in this solo as well.
Yes. The idea is that you are going from point 'A' to point 'B', and its totally up to you what you
want to do in that interval, so long as you leave point 'A' and you arrive at point 'B '. I call that
'harmonic improvising'. Improvising doesn't need to be confined to melodic and rhythmic
improvising, why not include harmonic improvising? And if an idea occurs in an improvising

88
context, it shouldn't happen again, it should only happen at that one point, that way it keeps its
freshness and its surprise. You haven't reharmonised the piece, you have just improvised a
harmonic innovation in a piece. That keeps it in the spirit of improvisation.
When you moved to new tonal centres, were there functional harmonic considerations that moved
you there, or were you thinking about these chords as abstract sounds or new harmonic 'places'
that you could go to?
It's really a question of how strictly you want to adhere to the discipline of the written song. You
can decide that in advance. You can decide that, "This song suggests to me this key change at this
point, because it's built into the written song, so I will respect that change at that time, but
nothing else."
During your solo you played some ideas that were related to some of the ideas that Coleman
Hawkins had played just prior to your solo, you had obviously been listening to his solo. Was
that something that you were consciously doing only at that time, or something that you have
continued to do?
There's no need to bring your own set of inspiration to the bandstand if you are playing with
geniuses. It's already going to be inspired, you just have to listen. To be able to pick-up on
somebody else's idea, and further elaborate it is an added finesse. If I play what the other
musicians played, and add to it, continuing the ideas, that's an extra skill. I am not just bringing
my own particular universe to your' recording, I am taking your universe and adding to it,
instructing it. I am saying, "You were only this flexible . I can take what you did and make it even
more flexible. I can play your ideas, and squeeze them together more, or stretch them out more. I
can continue the process. I can instruct and inform you as a player." Remember, a white musician
in a black musical world had to be able to instruct the other players, who were already geniuses.
You had to play better than them to be allowed on the bandstand. If you didn't play as well as
them you could get a job as accompanist if you were black, but if you were white it wasn't just a
question of playing as well as them, you had to be able to inform them. Sonny came in just after
my solo and erased everybody because he loved confrontation. With the fur flying between Hawk
and myself, Sonny came in and said, "Oh yeah? You guys won't even know what room you are
in when I get through." Luckily, Hawk didn't have to follow that solo. Talk about deconstruction.
I love Sonny Rollins, which is why I chose him over Miles. I tell that story about that night in
Birdland, when the call had gone out in New York. The hiring process in New York City at that
time, which was 1961, didn't involve someone calling you up on the phone and saying, "Would
you like this job?" The word was sent out through the grapevine that you were invited to come to

89
a performance that was already extant, and you could sit in on the performance and somebody
else would sit in and the leaders would choose who would play with whom. So on Monday night
at Birdland it was the Sonny Rollins Quartet and the Miles Davis Quintet. I thought, out of
respect to Sonny, that he needed companionship in this 'deconstruction of standards' period,
because he had just failed the test of playing totally free music in the band he had with Don
Cherry, and he later went back to standards with Jim Hall, and that was too simple, so I was the
third player in that situation. I thought it would be useful to explore this area because free jazz
had over-taken standards, before standards had contributed all that they could. We went from
simple standard playing to totally free playing without doing standards that had some harmonic
freedom in terms of their construction. So this was an opportunity to play in a situation with
masters who played standards as well as anybody on the planet and further de-construct them,
which would keep them alive for another decade or two. On the other hand you had Miles on the
bandstand with Herbie. Either one of us could have done either job, and both of us had already
toyed with the idea of playing with these people. Herbie would have done a beautiful job with
Rollins, and did do so later, but not in a way that was very challenging to Rollins; he did a
traditional job in the recording studio with Rollins. By picking Sonny I realize that I had short-
circuited my career because it turned out that anybody who had played with Miles immediately
had the stamp of approval of that decade, if not two or three decades later. A stamp of approval is
a dangerous thing however, because it validates what you are already doing and you never want
to have that happen in music; you always want what you are doing to be threatened so that you
have to keep moving. For me it was very productive playing with Sonny, and it turned out that it
was very productive for Herbie to play with Miles. It was a happy choice, and it amazes me to
this day that Herbie gave me the choice as to who I would like to play with. That was
unbelievably gracious and totally unknown in the world of Rollins and his cutthroat, competitive,
prize-fighting style.
There are places in this solo where you play lines reminiscent of tone rows. Do you think you
may have used some rows in this solo?
That's an, 'after the fact', consideration. When improvising you play things you hear because you
like the way they are going to sound, and whether they are a row or not is really irrelevant. In
analyzing in terms of rows we peaked at the turn of the century. They were a means of freeing
people from the dominance of triadic playing. That freedom hasn't appeared in the jazz world;
just tum on a jazz performance and you'll hear nothing but triads. Wagner-over-all-ofus!

90
Is the sound of tone rows something that you like, and include in your playing?
Well, I like to destroy triadic harmony. You could call that 'row-playing', but it's certainly not
strict row playing; I don't write them out in advance. Atonality and tonality are the flipside of
each other, one informs the other. If you are going to make something very beautiful you can't
keep doing it because at a certain point it becomes saccharine, so you have to play something
ugly after you have played something beautiful, so that beautiful still sounds beautiful when it re-
enters. There is no unlimited duration for something; you are always playing something off
another thing, perhaps its opposite. It goes back to the idea of, "What am I doing now, and when
will I stop doing it and do its opposite?" The number of ' opposites' you have control of is 'your
bag'.
Anything y ou would like to add regarding this recording?
The difficulty was not playing with them [Rollins and Hawkins], the difficulty was staying alive
in the social context in which they functioned. If your bandleader was against you socially and
was always threatening your existence by challenging you security, you had to learn how to cope
with that and predict in advance their moves in order to limit their effectiveness. All of this was
before you got on the stage. I learned such great lessons on inter-personal relationships from
these giants - Mingus, Rollins, Monk - from the way they dealt socially. It was very informative.
Nothing was ever fixed, there was nothing you could be sure of, there was no behavior pattern to
be expected, and that was always reflected in the music. That is what kept it so challenging and
so provocative.
A final note on that recording: I have heard that Pat Metheny was quite influenced by your solo
on this track.
Yes. I would say across the whole New York City school of jazz it was widely spoken of as being
important in terms of raising the bar for what was expected from an improvised performance on a
standard.
My Standard: All The Things You Are [1985)
What I got from the performance, as opposed to the earlier version [with Sonny Rolllins], was
that there was a lyrical romanticism that existed for a few moments here and there that
superceded any lyricism or romanticism that was on the earlier performance. That bloomed a
decade later as a serious, exaggerated romanticism that exists now as a parameter that I may use
in a piece. In the early recordings I could be sour for the entire performance, but now I can mix
equal quantities of very sweet and very sour playing and create even more dramatic contrasts.
One thing that I have worked on was to be able to do what I was doing longer, so although I

91
r
touch on different things in the earlier performances, rhythms that interested me, and so forth, but
also in terms of emotion, the later performances allowed me the license to be banal.
Does that require a particular focus or is that a conceptual issue?
It's just a question maturing over time. You allow yourself more and more liberties. I include
material now that I would have rejected earlier as not being appropriate. If you accept the idea
that the listener is just weighing the difference between one thing and another, and if you are able
to play them equally for longer, then you have more of a balancing act that you can do. In other
words I'm saying, "Listen to this, this is intellectual," and then I am saying, "Listen to this, it's
just supposed to move you emotionally." By being able to do that for equal durations I have more
control, more command of what it is about.
Your play ing has certainly become more beautiful over the years. Do y ou think that blossomed in
the 1990s?
Well, once you master a certain set of skills, rhythmic skills, elongation and so forth, you don't
have to keep making that point. The question becomes, "What other points are you going to
make? What other skills are you going to acquire and utilize equally with the other things you are
doing?" Romanticism was something that I had left out as a color in my performances. 'How
romantic?' was the next question . I found that I could get very romantic and satisfy emotional
needs. The final judge of a live performer is, "Can they make the audience cry?" So the joke in
Italy is, "Is it a three hanky concert or a fi ve hanky concert?" In some cases, when you play in
Lubiana for example, the audience needs to cry because they have relatives in the war and that is
just a short train ride away. When they assemble in a hall and you are playing for them, making
them cry is very therapeutic. You are giving them a license to cry, it's a concert. That's the point
of that performance in that place. If you are looking for the reason, "Why do you play?" Well,
different reasons for each room and each date on the calendar.
Much has been made of the political impulse offreejazz in the 1960s. Some writers have claimed
that much free jazz, particularly that made by African Americans, was a politically motivated cry
for freedom. Was that the 'point of' or 'the reason for ' that music?
Very much so. Some of the black leaders had to divorce their white wives because it was
politically unacceptable in the 1960s to not marry into your own race. The black people had been
cursed in that they were unable to produce leaders who survived. The idea that you have to have a
religious person as your leader because they are the only ones protected from assassination is
self-defeating. In the case of Martin Luther King or Malcolm X that still wasn't sufficient. The
1960s were all about that, and protests about that. Music was also very protest oriented.

92
Was that political impulse an important part of the Jazz Composers Guild in New York?
Well, it was certainly surrounded by very active political people. I remember having meetings
with the Guild that started around ten or eleven at night and at five in the morning Cecil or Sun
Ra would still be raving. They could do that easily, and for good reason. Us non-blacks were
really observers to the process. To create a leader you have to go to amateurs, someone who is
incompetent because they have never had the helm of the ship is now going to be in front, and
they are going to be cannon fodder. They have to stumble along and you have to promote within
the group, which is why all the sympathetic non-blacks were excluded from the group, not
because they weren't helpful or they weren't useful at the time but because it was necessary to
promote from within. Now we have a black middle-class that can speak very well about its
concerns and communicate to non-blacks their humanity, which is what art is really about.

The Desires Of The Hand

The use of wide intervals is a characteristic ofyour music, and they create a harmonic openness
that implies more than those pitches would if reduced to the closest possible spacing. Is this non-
equivalence of the pitch-classes a product ofyou studies in composition?
No, they are related to my studies in physiology. The hand has its own desires, and that was very
much an influence on designing a style for accompaniment for free music. The hands rest on the
right and left side of you at rest, and they have a certain destiny that they feel as hands, leaving
the brain aside. And the wide intervals are where they sound the best, especially in the bass
register. When you go below middle C, intervals less than a fifth become very muddy so one
tends to write in fifths (or sometimes fourths) or wider intervals. If you carry that one step further
then melody can also be conceived in wide intervals, which gives you a different take on melodic
construction. This is in opposition to the scale-like intervals that are often used. That approach
comes with practicing music by practicing scales. A scale is a very ugly thing and it's a very bad
discipline to be letting your ear hear bad music in the name of technique. So you have to attack
the word technique. This is one of the reasons that you don't want to work on technique. The
other reason is that it not a question of how to play something, or a question of technique, but a
question of what to play, because you are a composer in real time. The how will follow the what.
If you decide what to play and what aesthetics to use in your' choices then the how will follow.
There is a basic advantage in not being able to play well, in that if your' music is very simple
then you are less likely to play bad notes. The more notes you play the more likely you are to
play a lot of bad ones. By limiting your choices you improve the result of the music. I went

93
through a period in my life when rather than trying to make my music sound better I started
eliminating things that didn't sound good and everyone said that I had made a great improvement,
but what I had done was just house cleaning.
You mentioned that 'the desires of the hand' were useful in accompanying free music.
I reached a crisis somewhere in the mid-l 970s and needed to find a new way to play. Jazz had
gone from triads to fourths with Coltrane and McCoy Tyner, with the harmony built on fourths. I
realized that this was elementary, because if you were to use that as the modus operandi the next
thing to come would be harmony using fifths, then sixths and sevenths. It seemed really absurd.
Guiffre's idea about harmony was that there was no harmony; there was only simultaneous
melody. The joke I like to tell is that you have only twelve notes to use, and eleven of them sound
good in any combination, so what's your problem? The hands present an interesting idea. Being a
pianist I have tried to find a playing style and an accompanying style for the left hand, and the
real question is what is the function of the left hand. We know what it has been in jazz; it was
stride piano, swing bass, then in bebop it was sort of snare drum accents, as if you were a bebop
drummer. There was less and less use of the left hand and it began to be less and less important as
jazz became more modem. Not having any role models to draw upon - Cecil Taylor used both
hands but Cecil was really a vibraphonist, and his biggest influence was on drummers - but
somebody who considered themselves a pianist in a pianistic way, my question was, "What's the
function of the left hand in free music?" Rather than fabricate an answer or compose an answer,
since there were no precedents I decided to let my left hand give me the answer. So I began
playing the first piece of every concert as a solo for left hand. Now the first thing you think of is
to duplicate everything you would normally do with the right hand, and that's difficult to do
because you don't really play with two hands in Bebop music, you play with one hand and
accompaniment, so that didn't seem like a good idea. Rather than stretch the left hand to
duplicate the right hand, I said, "well, in electronic music to duplicate the right hand you just
push a button and it gives you an octave divider, and its not really that useful. Creating an
'acoustic octave divider' didn't seem like the right way to go. I knew a lot of things that were not
productive, so rather than try and invent my way out of the situation I would just let the left hand
do what it felt comfortable doing, which is the opposite of the classical technique where you
force the left hand into right hand patterns. You are equally virtuosic and you belabour it until it
produces tendonitis. I have found a solution to the problem of tendonitis: never practice. Practice
means forcing the hand to do something it doesn't want to do, learning some music by a show-off
virtuoso who is doing un-pianistic things with the left hand and writing it out and giving it to

94
people to destroy themselves with. So I now had a new relationship with my left hand. I was
going to let the audience pay for my learning, by stumbling through some pieces for left hand that
I was making up on the spot. In the beginning, as could be expected, the pieces were very modest.
They just did what they wanted to do, even in a clumsy way, but I have been doing it now for
twenty or thirty years, and after even six months I became facile, certainly there was
improvement, which I was very pleased with, but was not working towards. I only did the things
that I could do, as opposed to the things that I couldn't do, and that's a very revolutionary idea to
have about an instrument. Strangely enough, after about a year or two, the left hand began
rewarding me for my compassion, and low and behold I began stringing two or three things that I
could do together. My earliest work was inventing ostinatos, so I would be playing an ostinato,
breaking from the ostinato then returning to it, fashioning solo pieces for left hand that way.
Without any ability on my part to predict what the outcome of this pursuit would be, I began to
develop a technique for the left hand. I didn't work anything out; the hand just became more and
more friendly to the idea of doing what the hand wanted to do. Now giving up your creativeness
to a part of your body is a strange thing to do, but I noticed that if you do something well and in a
natural way, audiences think you have acquired a technique by practicing. In fact I could only
play what I could play, something that my hand wanted to play. If I came up with a mental idea
that was appealing, 'wouldn't it be nice if I could do that', that was the opposite way to work. By
being nice to my left hand it never became a worry to me, and I never had a problem with
tendonitis. I am at a point now where I can sit down and duplicate the right hand. That's easy.
Finding suitable things to do in a register that gets muddy as you get deeper [is more
challenging]. Now I had not yet applied this to right hand. If you are sitting at a keyboard, you
find a universe below middle C and a universe above middle C, and as Ornette said, they should
have picked eighty-eight different names for the notes on the piano, because they are not really
related. The fact that they give them the same names gives you a false way of viewing them.
They are sound sources that are unlike each other; every note is different from every other note. I
haven't yet worked on the right hand with this approach because I have been blessed with a right
hand technique from playing the piano all of these years. The left hand has been a lot of fun, and
it poses the question of whether or not I need to work with a bassist or not. I have done some
work with Paul Motian's band and he used to have bands without bassists. In those situations you
have a three-legged chair when you remove one player, so immediately the left hand is there to
support the rest of the music because there is nothing else in that register. The piano doesn't need
any help. It has so much personality, you don't need a violinist or bass player or drummer with a

95
piano; the piano can do all of those things. The reason we have had all of these other instruments
is because the music has been designed to minimize the range of the piano in use to play jazz.
Pianos in jazz mainly use an octave or two either side of middle C. If you chained your two hands
together, that would allow sufficient use of the piano for most jazz contexts. Over time pianists
have tried to extend that. Free music was very helpful because once you took away the need to
play steady time, the preset instrumental groups were destroyed. You didn 't need 'piano, bass and
drums ', or the 'thirteen piece big band' or any other standard set-ups, and when that happened, it
opened up the palette.

96
Appendix 2: Selected Discography

Paul Bley

The Fabulous Paul Bley Quintet. America AM 6120. [ 1958]


Paul Bley With Gary Peacock. ECM 1003. [1963]
Closer. ESP 1021-2. [1965]
Open, To Love. ECM 78118-21023-2. [1972]
My Standard. Steeplechase SCCD 31214. [ 1985]
If We May. Steeplechase SCCD31344. [1993]
Notes On Ornette. Steeplechase SCCD3 l 43 7. [ 1998]

Ornette Coleman

Coleman Classics Vol. 1. IAI 37.38.52. [1958)


Beauty Is A Rare Thing. Rhino/Atlantic Jazz Gallery R2 71410 [ 1959 - 1961]

Sonny Rollins

Sonny Meets Hawk. RCA Victor LSP2712. [1963]

Jimmy Giuffre

1961. ECM 1438/39. [1961]

Don Ellis

Out OfNowhere. Candid CCD 79032. [1 96 1]

97
Glossary
Formula: a melodic cell or motif

Implication/Realisation theory: Ideas advanced by Eugene Narmour and Leonard Meyer which
examine how the experience of listening to a piece of music creates expectations that are related
to the unfolding of the piece's melodic structure.

Jazz language: pitch content, ryhythmic organization, phrasing and articulation of melodies that
have their origins in the playing of key performers in the jazz tradition.

Melodic vocabulary: the organization of pitch and rhythmic material in improvised lines.

Pitch class: A letter name given to notes on the piano that are duplicated at intervals of an octave
(i.e. A, Bb, B, B, Db, etc) is an example of pitch class. All 'A's on the piano, for example, can be
said to belong to the pitch class 'A'. The relationship between these 'A's, separated by octaves,
is called 'equivalence'.

Processual models: models that give priority to the process that gives rise to a particular outcome,
in the case of this study, the process or act of improvising. Such models are complex as they must
consider many variables, but do provide a 'holistic' view of the phenomenon, and represent a
move a way from positivist views of music.

Reductive models: analytical models that consider the product of an act or process, with little or
no cognizance given to the act or process itself.

Retensive-protensive (RP): The projection of ones awareness in both past and the future
directions. This idea has its origins in Edmund Husserl's (1964) conception of the
phenomenology of time, and is a central idea in Ed Sarath's (1996) paper "A New Look At
Improvisation".

Schenkerian analysis: Analytical model formulated by Heinrich Schenker that postulated that
(masterly) musical works were essentially projections of the tonic triad. These projections
involved the transformation of the triad into a fundamental structure, the Ursatz, and the
'composing out' of that structure, or Auskomponierung, by means of various prolongation
techniques. To analysts of jazz music, the fundamental line (Urlinie) which descends in a linear
manner to the root of the tonic and describes the Ursatz is of particular interest, and is analogous
to a 'guide tone' line.

98
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101
0 Massey University
College of Design, Fine Arts and Music

AVAILABILITY OF THESIS

Author's name: Norman Lawrence Meehan

Title of Thesis: After the Melody: Paul Bley and Jazz Piano After Ornette
Coleman

Degree: Master of Music (MMus)

Year

I hereby consent to the above thesis being consulted, borrowed,


copied or reproduced in from time to time in accordance with the
provisions of the Library Regulations made by the Academic
Board.

Authors Name: Norman Lawrence Meehan

Signature:1-flk~ ........ .
Date: .... J?.~.f:/9.?.: ........................ .
(1 Massey University
College of Design, Fine Arts and Music

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

Except where specific reference is made in the main text of the thesis, this
thesis contains no material extracted in whole or in part from a thesis,
dissertation, or research paper presented by me for another degree or
diploma.

No other person's work (published or unpublished) has been used without due
acknowledgment in the main text of the thesis.

This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any other degree or
diploma in any other tertiary institution.

Name:
Norman Lawrence Meehan

Date: ....... ~_c;(/r.>.4 .. ./9.~


................. .

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